


Fly me to the Moon

by Hoodie2



Category: 3 Below, Trollhunters - Daniel Kraus & Guillermo del Toro
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, Gen, Human AU, Im a sucker for pain, Krel is angry, M/M, Seamus is sorry, and you all will suffer with me, or one of Mary's friends, previous relationships, you don't mess with Aja's little brother
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:42:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 37,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25702270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hoodie2/pseuds/Hoodie2
Summary: So, after so long of being a part of a major space program, Seamus returns to Arcadia where the nights are weird and you pretend you don't know a thing during the day. Only problem is... his ex that he left behind without a goodbye.
Relationships: Aaarrrgghh/Blinkous "Blinky" Galadrigal, Jim Lake Jr./Claire Nuñez, Seamus Johnson & Krel Tarron, Seamus Johnson/Krel Tarron, Steve Palchuck/ Aja Tarron (former), Steve Palchuck/Eli Pepperjack, Toby Domzalski/Darci Scott
Comments: 12
Kudos: 60





	1. Chapter 1

Familiar buildings passed him slowly by as Seamus drove through his hometown, Arcadia. Nothing had really changed since he left, it was hard to believe he left at all. He recognized Sam's diner, best milkshakes in town; the record store, the car dealer, the park, and Stuart's electronics. Nothing changed, but, Seamus kept his eyes on the electronic store as if something did, there was only the closed sign in the window and the blinds were down, a vague curiosity if  _ he  _ still worked there.

Does  _ he _ even live here still, Seamus wondered guiltily.

Steve said that the party was happening at Claire's parent's house. A baby shower. It sounded so normal compared to the excitement of several members of their graduating class who suddenly decided to study abroad during their sophomore and junior years of high school - Seamus excluded, he had something to stick around for. Emphasis on had. It really was hard to believe that he’s been gone for thirteen years.

Seamus did keep in touch, sort of. With some better than… others, mostly his mom and uncle, Steve, Logan, and Mary and Darci. Regrettably, he either didn't know the others well enough to think that they even cared about him leaving for a major space program or just didn't know what to say. The latter part brought about large quantities of anxiety which was the main reason Seamus had avoided coming back even during the holidays, clutching to the excuse that he was busy. It wasn't easy, guilt ate away at him as he spent those days just staring at his phone, readingMary's constant posts about whatever celebration she joined and whoever had partook in it, or driving himself insane with holiday music as punishment.

Anyway, the party, uh, the baby shower. Steve had said everyone was going. As for who 'everyone' is, terrified Seamus. He quickly figured the obvious that Jim's and Claire's families will be there, Toby - duh - and Darci, Mary, Steve and Eli, Shannon and her fiance, Logan, Logan's girlfriend, the list could go on but he'd rather not think of it. He should have just stayed home looking through apartment listings online.

"Yep," Seamus agreed with himself as he parked across from the Nuñez house that was swarmed with various cars, a single scooter, and one  _ fucking _ motorcycle. "Shit." He added, white-knuckling his grip on the steering wheel, scowling at the vehicle like it offended him personally in some way. It wasn't the same though, similar but somehow different. Did  _ he _ change something in it?

Against every molecule in his body screaming at him to turn tail and run, text Steve saying he got caught up in unpacking and looking through the listings, Seamus pulled the key from the ignition and climbed out of his car. 

"You have to face the music some time." He remembered the first lecture he got from his mother when he first walked through the door, she went off on him about the suffering and heartache he left behind in his absence. As he trudged across the street on such a horribly beautiful and sunny day, the realization that Seamus was going to face his ex after thirteen years. Having left without so much as a goodbye, he had every right to be afraid.

He felt his phone buzz in his pocket as he knocked on the door of the Nuñez house, he ignored it.

The wait felt longer than it probably was when the door opened and Jim Lake was on the other side laughing at something inside the house. Wow, had he changed, well, he was eye level with Seamus finally, swapped his usual blue sweater for a blue summer coat, and he was growing a slight goatee. 

Jim's eyes widened with surprise at Seamus, a welcoming smile spreading across his face. "Seamus! Long time no see!" He greeted, extending a hand through the doorway. Seamus took it, allowing a weak smile as their hands shook once. "I was honestly thinking you weren't coming back. 

"You and me both." The blonde forced a chuckle. "But y'know, Arcadia, it's home."

Jim nodded in understanding, then opened the door wider. "Well, I'm glad you came back. Come in." He stepped out of the way, his hand making a sweeping gesture to the inside of the house. Seamus stepped inside, quickly taking in the closest photos on the wall. Most were of Claire and her brothers in nice picture perfect scenarios, except one where Jim was in the background.

Jim led Seamus down the hall, giving him a basic run down of who all came - basically everyone he had figured, and through the kitchen, where Dr. Lake stood by the punch bowl atop the island counter talking enthusiastically to Councilwoman Nuñez and Nana Domzawlski, all three ladies spared a polite wave to him and Jim before resuming their conversation, then out the kitchen door in the backyard where the rest of the partygoers were. Mr. Nuñez stood guard over his grill chatting up Mr. Strickler and two other older men Seamus wasn't familiar with, Claire was seated at the picnic table surrounded by guests - she looked great for being a few months pregnant, and there was an entire  _ herd _ of kids running around the yard chasing a soccer ball. Seamus wasn't even trying, he would swear it up and down, he wasn't even trying but he looked around the familiar faces until he found the one he was the most reluctant to see, talking and laughing with Mary and Douxie on the far side of the yard.

Krel.

"Hey guys," Jim called out to the collective of guests. The three in the distance looked up at the announcement. "Guess who finally decided to show up!" He patted Seamus on the shoulder once before moving to join the party. Seamus accidentally locked eyes with Krel when the Cantelopian looked up and saw the one flash of emotion before those warm brown eyes died on him. Then, they turned away.

Grief had only a moment's grip of Seamus' throat before a hand smacked his shoulder, startling him. He turned to find his old pal Steve grinning like a madman, surprising since the last time Seamus saw him he was in tears because Aja broke up with him. Maybe he and Eli finally hooked up, hopefully, they were good for each other when they stopped shoving the nerd into lockers.

"Glad you came, man." Steve greeted, moving his arm from Seamus' back to around his neck. "I thought you were gunna hide out at your mom's for another week."

Seamus only replied with a weak chuckle, glimpsing again over at Krel, who was saying something to Mary, a big grin on his face when she started laughing. Wow, Krel actually grew out his hair. Seamus really wished he stayed home instead of coming out.

Steve nudged his shoulder with his other hand, the one that held a can of Corona Light. Why was Steve drinking? He hated alcohol. Isn't he driving the scooter?

"Hey, let's get you a drink." The man suggested, walking around Seamus to direct him back to the house.

"You like beer now?" Seamus asked, focusing on the golden can now resting against Steve's ads. "When did that happen?"

Steve shrugged, releasing Seamus so they both could fit through the open door. "I don't drink a lot like, y'know. I split with Eli, and Corona Light is the one he likes so ...." He shrugged again.

Seamus grins a little more relaxed now following his friend into the kitchen, he helps himself to a soda from the fridge, glancing over his sh ok older at the sound of Dr. Lake laughing.

"So, uh, how are things with you and Eli since he got back and well…."  _ Since Aja dumped you to marry some noble for the sake of her country _ , he added mentally as he waved his free hand as a vague continuation of the sentence. His brow rose at how quick red colored Steve's face, smirking at the squeaky giggle he got as a reply.

"Let's just say…" Steve scratched a digit behind his ear, clearing his throat. "Toby owes you some money. But you didn't get the reminder from me." He pointed a finger at the strawberry blonde sternly.

Seamus tapped his fingernail over the can tab twice before pulling it and opening the can, taking a long swig from it. Ick, he grabbed coke. Why do people buy it? Why didn't he look first? He examined the can as he reluctantly and regrettably swallowed. Even worse, it was diet coke. Today is just collecting karma points isn't it?

"Are you doing okay, Seamus?" The question caught him off guard, it was spoken quietly, probably not to attract attention from the other occupants of the room. He looked up to see concern in Steve's eyes, it was weird seeing that in a guy who used to act like he didn't have a worry in the world.

"I’m fine." Seamus answered coldly. He took the lead to go back outside, probably a bad idea but you never know, maybe Steve'll drop it. The party had plenty of guests to keep Seamus occupied from going and attempting to talk to Krel, and make a fool of himself. Yeah, the backyard had lots of room and trying to get through a soccer team or two of kids just to get to one single person sounds like too much trouble anyway.

Steve followed him quietly, tapping his shoulder to point at another group leaning on the fence closer to Claire and the food table, Seamus recognized Eli instantly by his large glasses, Logan bulked up a lot, must've stopped only using the treadmill at the gym, and another guy stood with them laughing at the kids that were trying so hard to use the table as a distraction to keep the ball away from the rest. Steve and Seamus joined them.

"Hey, man, good to see ya." Logan greeted with a raised fist.

Seamus returned the fist bump with a grin. "You too, Logan. How's it been Eli?" He looked over to the bespectacled man who filled out unbelievably well during his time in Cantelopia, at least from the photos Steve and the others would send, seeing how he looked in person was something else. Eli was definitely no longer the same nerd they used to bully in school.

“It’s all good.” Seamus blinked in surprise, not expecting the missing squeak in Eli’s voice. “I heard you finally got into the space program. Was it everything you hoped?” The question, or at least the way Eli said it, sounded a little bitter, or that could just be the guilt and anxiety catching up with Seamus.

The blonde shrugged, tucking one hand into his pocket as a way to appear casual. “It was basically a review in astrophysics and astronomy and the practical application of it. Of course, I suffered when it came to interacting with the engineers.” He sighed, shrinking in on himself when he heard the words come out of his mouth. Thankfully, Eli and Logan, and the other guy, laughed, so he went with it. “So unfortunately, no, I did not become an astronaut like I hoped.”

“And to think, that’s all you wanted to do.” Logan teased with an exaggerated sigh. “You’d go on and on about old and current news articles about NASA and anyone involved. Dude, you were so annoying some days.” Seamus laughed a little more weakly at that; not many people could stand it when Seamus went into a passionate rant about getting off planet.

“Just like you during your three-month crush on Mary in middle school?” Steve butted in, a shit-eating grin in place as he raised a finger from the beer can to point it at their friend. Eli reached out and took the can from him.

Logan raised a hand up to hush him, flashing a worried look at the picnic table where most of the party still gathered around Claire gushing about family trips or baby names or whatever. The unconcerned members of their little group snickered quietly anyway despite the lack of attention directed at them, each earning a scowl.

“Low blow, Steven, low blow.” Logan wagged a finger at the taller man.

Steve only winked at him.

“Speaking of low blows,” Seamus started taking a couple of steps back, “I have an old debt to collect,” he nudged Steve with his elbow, flashing him a grin before turning and walking away. He took another begrudging drink of his coke to disguise the chance he took to look over again at Krel, who was separating himself from his small group while pointing at the plastic cup in one hand, obviously a gesture that he was refilling his punch. This could be a chance to talk.

The thought shot clear through his skull. It wasn’t wrong… But it wasn’t right. What right did Seamus have to try and talk to Krel after leaving without a word, staying gone with no contact, or just returning without so much as a decent apology? Seamus might as well be dead to Krel with the way he looked at Seamus earlier. Such an idiot. Krel only left for three months and then Seamus just disappeared on him for thirteen years, for different reasons but one was worse than the other. Pretty sure it wasn’t made better by the fact that he kept in contact with almost everyone  _ besides  _ Krel. Oh gods, he really should have just stayed home.

Seamus hid from Krel, who continued toward the house merrily, by joining everyone at the picnic table where Claire and Jim were answering questions about what their plans were for the baby’s future. He spotted Toby right at his best friends’ sides of course, looking as proud of them as if he was another parent of the unborn child. Ugh, Seamus wasn’t even in the mood to fake a cocky attitude. So he just awkwardly stood at the edges of the gathering pretending to be interested in the questions that Jim and Claire took turns answering.

After roughly fifteen minutes of that, Seamus made his way back to Steve and the guys. They were talking about, or more rather complaining about gas prices, geez, when did everybody turn into actual adults? Steve was the first to notice him.

“Did you get your money? You didn’t tell Toby I reminded you, right?” The blonde narrowed his eyes at Seamus, missing the unimpressed look that Eli gave him.

“No,” Seamus rolled his eyes. “He’s pretty busy between his threesome with Jim and Claire, and his relationship with Darci. I’ll get it later.”

As the party went on, Seamus mainly stuck close to the people he knew best, hanging on to the can of diet coke even after he drank the final drop, attempting, but unable to help failing, at stealing looks at Krel’s little gathering, Toby or Darci, or both, would occasionally wander away from Claire to join whatever they were talking about. Seamus would be lying if he said he wasn’t the least bit jealous, but then, he was always jealous when it came to Krel. When those intelligent eyes focused on whoever was speaking, not the slightest waver except when he gets flustered. Gods, it was easy to embarrass him, so used to the formalities of his title that Krel would turn red at the smallest tease or even just pushing his hair back behind his ear. At least that’s how it was in public. In private, Krel would melt easily, always ready for sweets and a movie under a single blanket, lazy afternoon naps because everyone knows both Seamus and Krel had horrible sleeping habits, or just even working on homework or whatever new project Krel was working on he was usually seated on Seamus’ lap tinkering away. Oh, how those days were missed.

And, oh, there’s a hand in his face.

“Hey, space cadet,” Steve’s voice was obnoxious in his ear. “Come back to earth, preferably to Arcadia.”

Seamus blinked once before leaning away, wiping off the spit on his face with a disgusted goan. “Say it, don’t spray it. Gross.” He wiped his hand on his jeans. “I must have spaced out. Sorry.”

The look Logan gave him was unamused, paired with a slight head wobble to emphasize that point. “Dude, just go talk to him.” Eli nodded quietly in agreement. “It’s not like Krel’s gonna shoot you point blank.”

“Clearly you have never gotten into an argument with Krel.” Seamus shot back without hesitation. “I would rather be shot point blank. Here.” He brought his index finger up and tapped the spot between his eyebrows.

“Yea, and Krel literally just found out Seamus is back, right?” Steve looked to his long-time buddy for assurance, getting a nod in return. “So that’ll be stressful on his side too. Maybe an adjustment period would be best.” The former self-proclaimed king of Arcadia Oaks High looked back and forth between his friends, and the other guy, with a relaxed smile. “And, of course, pray Mary doesn’t get ahold of you after this party.”

Logan sucked air in through his teeth, exchanging worried looks with Eli as Seamus turned confused.

“Why would she come after me?” The strawberry blonde asked. “What did I do to her?”

Steve patted his shoulder. “I’ll explain later. But with her being besties with Krel, it’s kind of a sympathy vendetta.”

Seamus’ shoulders dropped, sudden exhaustion taking over. Oh great, Mary’s coming for him too. Really should have just stayed home. Or stayed away.


	2. Chapter 2

Seamus found himself at the park the next day, seated on one of the benches, it was another beautiful day, like always in Arcadia. It only rained every few weeks in an almost clockwork routine. He wished, oh, he wished it was a day that would rain, thunder and lightning, anything to discourage this hope-filled nonsensical half of his mind fuelled by his mother’s reminiscing of his and Krel’s former relationship during their final two years of high school and throughout community college. It didn’t help that his uncle added the number of times he’s walked on Krel and Seamus during less than decent moments.

The jingling of a store bell pulled him from his thoughts, the phone in his hands instantly rising so it appeared that he was paying attention to the blackened screen, looking up to see Krel stepping out of Stuart’s Electronics. Seamus watched as he flipped the open sign in the door’s window to close. He saw Mary step out of the building behind Krel, if common sense didn’t discourage Seamus’ mind,  _ that _ did. The two talked a bit as Krel locked the door then stuffed the key into one of the pockets of his cargo shorts, pulling out something else.

Raising his phone higher to almost obscure his view, Seamus squinted at the two, he couldn’t see Mary’s face but the way she pointed at whatever it was in Krel’s hand showed she wasn’t pleased. Krel’s eyes only rolled as he plucked something smaller from it with his free hand. Wait- was that a cigarette?

Seamus pulled up the camera on his phone and zoomed in on Krel’s hand. It was blurry and heavily pixelated, and Seamus seriously needed to upgrade his phone, but that indeed was -is- a cigarette.

“When did that happen?” He wondered softly as he zoomed back out, watching the thin tube be brought to Krel’s lips and lit at the protruding end, and watching still as they walked away from the storefront, away from the park, and away from what little courage Seamus had gathered.

Probably for the best, he thought to himself with a sigh, willing the knot in his stomach to ease. It’ll give him more time to think of a hopefully half decent apology. Though Seamus didn’t believe all of the time in the world would be enough.

“Resorted to stalking, have you?” Seamus jumped with a start, twisting around to the source of the voice. Steve jumped back as if he was expecting Seamus would hit him, which he might have. He joined his friend on the bench when he figured he was safe from Seamus’ wrath.

Seamus looked at his phone’s lock screen, an old picture of a sleeping Krel stared back at him, the time revealed that he had sat there for three hours out of the afternoon, he sighed again in defeat. “Seems like it, huh?” He tossed a finger lazily in the direction Krel and Mary went. “He left on his break, I think, with Mary.”

“Did they see you?” Steve asked, sounding a bit impressed. Maybe because Seamus was still in one piece within one hundred yards of Mary.

“Neither one showed it if they did.” Seamus answered, then, turning to face the other man after a moment with a confused expression. “When did Krel start smoking?”

Steve did nothing but blink quietly, brushing his knuckles against the stubble along his jaw. “You saw that?” He gave a nervous laugh. “Must’ve started that sometime the fourth year after you left. He just couldn’t seem to relax, one of the blind dates Mary ‘encouraged’-” Steve air quoted around the word “- him to go on got him started on it. That guy lasted until Krel figured out what brand he liked, which was almost a month. Mary’s been trying to get him to quit ever since.”

Blind dates? Krel has been seeing other guys? Of his own volition or not the thought boggled Seamus’ mind. He doubted that many lasted very long, if at all, Krel was always… particular about his company. Or how about the fact that one of them managed to get Krel hooked on a bad habit, as if he needed another! At least Mary was trying to fix it.

Seamus bent forward, resting his head in his hands and gripping the short strands of hair in clumps, tempted to tear out what he could. “Ooooh, I fucked up.” He groaned, rocking himself back and forth. “I should have called, texted, emailed, something!” He didn’t have to look up to know Steve was nodding along with the least sympathetic look on his face. After a healthy dose of self-pity, Seamus sat up, giving a deep and depressing sigh. "I need a plan."

"And I need some lunch." Steve declared, stretching his arms upward as he bent backward over the bench. "Let's do both at Benoit's. I think they have the seafood alfredo special today, I've been wanting something spicy." He licked his lips at the thought, looking back at his friend cheerfully. Seamus' eyes narrowed at the man, he wondered if Steve's idiocy was fake or if Steve really was that dense sometimes. Well, he wasn't going to complain about a free lunch.

"You're buying right?"

"Sure," Steve shrugged, getting up. "Call it a welcome back gift. Even if you're the guy that I love like a brother who broke my ex-girlfriend's brother's, who I also think of as a brother, heart." He grinned like his words weren't directly aimed at Seamus' already fragile confidence. 

"Gee, thanks for the reminder." The gloomy adult stood up, following Steve out of the park. "Like that hasn't been haunting me for the last thirteen years."

"You're welcome." Fuck, Seamus wanted to punch him so bad right now. Up front aggression wasn't typically his style but sometimes Steve just asks for it.

Benoit's hadn't changed either, other than this year's flower choice in the outdoor pots. Purple Hyacinth and White Tulip. An odd combination but it suited the attempted air of elegance and sophistication, now if only the clientele were the same, Seamus thought as he followed Steve inside. He was going on about how Eli's been yelling at him for eating out too often.

"I'm a grown man," Steve scoffs as if Seamus cared about the topic. "I mean, I'm not a freaking little guy like he is, heh, in more ways than one." The blonde smirked.

Nope. No. Nuh-uh. Seamus does  _ not _ want to go there when that part of his life is already too pathetic to even think about.

"Shut up, Steve." He says instead, scowling. "I'd rather hear about you getting your ass chewed about your diet than hear about yours and Eli's personal life." He walked around Steve into the restaurant, waving down Logan, who was delivering food to another table, then took a seat at a clean table beside one of the large windows. He stared down at the tabletop, not looking up when Steve joined him.

He needed a plan, an apology, an extremely damn good one. Something to get back on at least the level of civil conversation with Krel if not be able to… No, no, one step at a time. Try for what you can reach, Seamus told himself, his leg bounced as his mind went through every cliche and every cheesy romcom apology he’s ever seen. Of course, nothing seemed good enough, original or even relevant to his problem considering he didn’t even try seeing anyone else during his time away or whatever similar half-baked offense any character ever did. Not like he can solve his problems within half an hour anyway.

Suddenly, Seamus was cuffed upside the head.

“Earth to space cadet. Thanks for leaving me at the door.”

Seamus scowled again at Steve. “What.” He spat.

“Watch the temper, dude,” The man warned, frowning. “I could have left you to sulk at the park.” Then he smiled again in his usual idiot nature. “Anyway, I  _ was _ catching you up on some things you missed while you were gone.” His fingers played with one of the little laminated specials menu on the table.

Seamus just sighed, forcing himself to relax, sitting back in his chair. “Sorry.”

“Don’t worry, I get it.”

“Do you really?”

“Well…” Steve tossed his head from side to side. “Not your situation specifically. But I get wanting to make up for fucking up big time.”

“Let’s watch the language, gentlemen.” Fucking  _ Douxie _ walks up to their table with a notepad in hand and menus under one arm. Seamus forgot he worked here. “There are children present.” He smiled pleasantly between the two men, he hand each a menu. “Good to see you again Steve, welcome back Seamus. Can I start you two off with some drinks?”

“Two iced teas,” Steve answered immediately, “and isn’t there a special on the seafood alfredo today?”

Douxie hummed thoughtfully, looking over his shoulder at the specialties board Steve apparently didn't see earlier. "My sincerest apologies, not today I’m afraid.” He scrunched up his shoulders with an apologetic grimace. “It’s cucumber sandwiches. I can still get it for you, you just won’t get the specialty discount.”

“Damn,” Steve cursed softly, eyes darting to the other tables. “Yea, I’ll still get the seafood alfredo, thanks.” He held up his menu as Douxie scribbled his order down on the notepad. The older man looked at Seamus when he finished writing, tucking Steve’s menu back under his arm.

“I’m gonna need a minute.” Seamus grumbled, pretending to look over the appetizers. Douxie nodded and walked away quietly. He waited a few extra minutes after the waiter’s exit before snapping his eyes back up at Steve, who was reading off the small desert menu. “You knew.”

“Knew what?” Steve asked without looking up.

“Douxie works here.”

“He always did.”

“Douxie is close with Krel.”

“Yup.”

“You plotted this didn’t you.”

Steve snorted, looking up. “What makes you think that? I’m just the blond oaf, remember?” He grinned at Seamus’ glare. “Feeling a little paranoid, buddy?” Seamus’ eyes narrowed further at the other man, relaxing only the minute Douxie returned with the iced teas Steve ordered.

“Thanks Douxie.” Steve took one of the straws he offered, tearing the paper wrapping off and dropping the plastic tube into his drink. He didn’t comment when Seamus only grunted his own thanks.

“Of course.” Douxie chirped, his gaze shifting over to Seamus again. “Do you still need some time?” Seamus nodded. “Alright then, I’ll check back in a bit.” He stepped away, his usual easy-going nature seeming forced for once.

“Dude, relax,” Steve frowned at his friend. “You’re scaring Douxie. You haven’t done that since high school.” He grinned again making Seamus scowl even more.

“Shut up Steve.” He warned, feeling his face heat in embarrassment.

“Oh, c’mon, man.” Steve snickered, leaning forward on to the table. “It’s a classic. You were  _ the _ epitome of a jealous boyfriend, and you and Krel weren’t even dating then.”

“I said shut up.”

“You nearly killed Hank when Krel actually said yes to a date with him,” Steve continued anyway, not fearing for his life at all. “Mary almost had a heart attack that day.”

“Krel only did that because I was being an ass.” Seamus growled, looking out the window at the people just passing by. “The date went on for two hours and he almost killed Hank himself by the end of it.”

“Would’ve been a wonderful day.”

“What’s your point in this Steve?” Seamus turned back to the asshole across from him. What was his deal? Steve never used to be this pushy, even when Seamus used him as a talk therapy over how to deal with the sudden onslaught of possessive tendencies in high school.

“Call it petty revenge,” Steve replied with a shrug, sucking on his straw. “I mean, I could do worse. Aja sent me a borderline illegal firework to, and I quote, stick it up your ass and light it.” He laughed when Seamus cringed. “But otherwise, I’d call it motivation or whatever. You guys do need to talk."

“Yea, I don't think he'll be talking to me anytime soon.” Seamus loomed over his glass as depressing thoughts made their appearance again at the edges on his mind. "After all, I spent years talking to everyone  _ but _ him. Why would he want to talk to me?"

“Seam-”

“Don’t, Steve.” Seamus picked up the menu and stared at it listlessly, his appetite suddenly gone. Back in the pity boat, he thought to himself.

He heard Steve give a quiet groan, the menu in his hand blocked his view of the man most likely scrubbing his hands over his face in frustration. Burdening someone else with his problems wasn’t something Seamus liked to do, it just sort of happens. Maybe he should have gone to that therapist like his uncle suggested instead of ranting to Krel, when honestly  _ he  _ needed a therapist just as bad if not more so.

“How did you guys start dating in the first place?” The menu dropped enough so that the confused look on Seamus’ face could be seen.

Steve straightened up quickly, “I mean, the first week you couldn’t stand him, then something with the math duel and you respected him, you two tolerated each other for a while, then you started hanging out, next thing anyone knows you’re necking him in the men’s room of the movie theatre.”

Ho boy, a flash of embarrassment went through Seamus that he took a long stalling drink of his tea, his face heating up. That was honestly a great night, Earth Invaders had a movie premiere, Seamus and Krel were nit-picking all the plotholes and theory flaws, and they were slowly getting to a more affectionate phase in their relationship. Seamus hadn’t really planned for it to happen in the men’s room but he saw an opportunity and took it, Krel was pretty into it at the time. It was also entertaining to watch Krel quickly try to hide the marks on his neck when Steve, Toby, and some other Earth Invader fans walked in, you know, after the ache in Seamus’ ribs stopped hurting where Krel elbowed him. His face was so red.

Fingers were snapping in his face this time. “Dude,” Steve’s voice was starting to tip towards annoyance. “You really need to stop zoning out.”

“Sorry.” Seamus chuckled lowly.

“So...?”

“So… what?”

Steve scoffed, rolling his head back before frowning in deep annoyance at Seamus. “You and Krel, origin story… How you two started dating...” He waved his hand in the air as some encouraging force to continue the conversation.

“Oh uh, well-”

“One seafood alfredo!” Douxie strutted back up to the table, proudly setting the dish in front of the blonde, who was quickly overcome with joy. “And has this fine gentleman made up his mind?” The older man turned to Seamus, his notepad and pen seeming to materialize in his hands.

With a quick decision and a lack of care, the gloomy man skimmed over his menu again. “The oreo cheesecake.” He declared, folding up the menu and handing it over.

Douxie nodded hastily, scribbling away at the pad, then plucked up Seamus’ menu and trotted off elsewhere. Thank gods.

“Really?” Steve raised his brow at his companion unimpressed, a forkful of pasta and crab halfway to his mouth.

“What? It’s not like I have anyone to stay trim for.”

Steve just rolled his eyes, stuffing his food into his mouth, then, waving his utensil in the air for Seamus to continue.

“Right, anyway,” Seamus rubbed his thumb over the lip of his glass. It wasn’t exactly a pleasant memory but honestly it was better than the month that followed. “You remember when my dad just up and left after I moved in with my mom and uncle?”

Steve nodded furiously. No doubt it was hard to forget, Seamus’ mom flew off into a rage the first week afterwards, quickly bonding with Dr. Lake on a visit to the clinic over it.

“Well… that was the night I first kissed Krel.”

_ Seamus had just found out from the realtor that was selling his dad’s house, the house he had grown up in, that his dad decided there was no point in staying there if it was just himself alone. The realtor, such a kind woman, showed him to the garage where all of Seamus’ belongings sat stored away in a half hazardly pile. From crumpled NASA posters and broken glow-in-the-dark stars to his clothes and books and furniture all stacked with as little care as possible, Seamus almost couldn’t believe it. _

_ “Do you need to call someone, hon?” The lady had asked, carefully patting his shoulder. _

_ Seamus didn’t trust himself to talk, staring at the mess, his chest feeling tight. He was only gone two weeks, he just wanted a break, from the stress, from the yelling, from all the work. It was only two weeks. Sixteen year old Seamus nodded and hustled out of the garage, practically ripping his phone from his jean pocket. But who would he call? Mom and Uncle Jordon are out, they would make too much of a scene. Steve and Logan wouldn’t be any better, if anything they’d possibly be worse. The girls aren’t exactly keen on physical labor, though maybe he can ask Darci to bring her dad. No, no, that’ll bring up questions Seamus would very much not want to answer. That left fewer and fewer options until he figured Krel would be the best bet. Krel would be willing to help without making a big deal out of it and without  _ much  _ complaint, he could also get Jordon’s trailer easily enough with an excuse, he’s also smart enough to figure out what happened without Seamus having to say a word, thankfully. _

_ Next thing he knew, his phone was already ringing in his ear. Once, twice, thrice. Pick up, please pick up. _

_ “Johnson?” It was like hearing the blessed ancients, Seamus almost broke down then and there. _

_ Seamus swallowed thickly, “h-hey.” Way to go champ, that’s how you tell people you’re just fine with your old man suddenly gone out of your life. “I, um- Can I ask a favor?” _

_ “Is something wrong? You sound… off." _

_ He wanted to laugh at that, he wished he could, but that urge would have to fight with the desire to scream. Seamus nodded, forgetting that Krel couldn’t see him. “Y-yea, plenty. P-plenty, plenty is wrong.” He sniffed, hooking the neck of his shirt over his thumb and rubbing it along the underside of his nose. “But, um, can you get Uncle Jordon’s trailer and meet me at my dad’s place? Just- just make something up to tell him. Please?” Ugh, that weakness tasted gross in his mouth, his voice cracking on that last word. Why not just say he’s the sorriest son of a bastard in the country? _

_ “Yea- sure,” Seamus heard a noise in the background, like the squeaking of bed springs. Krel must have been working on a new mix. “I’ll be there in thirty, okay?” _

_ “Alright, thanks.” He hung up, then crouched down on the sidewalk, keeping his head down. Of all days Seamus decided it was time he talked with his dad, he also decided to go without his car. Idiot. Tapping the top of his scalp with his phone, he counted each hit with a measured breath. In, 2, 3 ,4. Out, 6, 7, 8. Of all the things he and Steve learned from Coach, the breathing practices stuck. Welp, at least he wasn’t going to break anything. Yet. _

_ Thirty minutes passed in agony with Seamus sitting on the front step, watching the cars and neighbors pass, refusing the realtor lady’s offers of gluten-free health snacks and counting down the very nanoseconds until he could get away from this problem and deal with the aftershock of it, preferably, by himself. When Krel finally showed up on his newly completed , but desperately needed a paint job, motorcycle with the trailer in tow, Seamus didn’t think he could be so relieved. Especially when the Cantelopian took one look at the ‘for sale’ sign hammered into the front yard and the pile of Seamus’ stuff in the still open garage, Seamus was very glad he didn’t have to explain anything. They met halfway on the pathwalk, it felt like he’d ran three miles in those few steps, Krel’s expression was set with concern. _

_ “I told your uncle you just wanted to bring some things from your dad’s house to your mom’s.” Krel explained, it was a nice fill-in for the silence as they walked to the garage, and a good way to make sure they both knew the alibi. It was only a half lie, typical Krel. The rest of the truth will probably come out later anyway. _

_ Seamus only nodded, still not trusting his voice. He grabbed his bookshelf from the pile, making sure it wasn’t holding anything up as he pulled it out and carefully laid it on it’s back then started filling the empty shelves with small collectables and the more fragile items. It wasn’t lost on Seamus how quiet Krel was but he appreciated it as the smaller teen cautiously removed the stuff stacked on top and sorted them out in their own smaller, neater piles. _

_ At some point the realtor lady joined in and helped, talking about things meaningless to the boys like her family and friends to fill the tense silence, that thankfully, for all their sakes, the job got done quickly and everything was strapped down securely for the trip back to Seamus’ mom’s house. _

_ “I’ll give your father a call to let him know you picked up your things.” She said, like it wasn’t the final nail in the coffin that he was officially abandoned by the man. Seamus honestly couldn’t tell, or really care, if her smile was in pity for him or for that bastard. _

_ He just took the spare helmet Krel offered and climbed on the bike behind him, wrapping his arms around the other’s midsection, barely registering the way Krel sympathetically patted his wrist before the machine purred to life. Seamus wanted to be proud at how well the bike was running, even though his part in its existence was just handing over the requested tools and making sure Krel ate and slept, but all he could do was hang on to what kept him from drowning in the moment. His dad was gone. His dad just up and left him like he didn’t matter. Couldn’t stand two weeks by himself. The weak bastard. _

_ Jordan was outside to greet them as Krel steered the motorcycle up the driveway, a beer can nestled in the grass next to him as he worked on the push mower. _

_ “My, my, that’s a lot of some things to bring home, lads.” Normally the fake irish accent wouldn’t bother him, but today was just not a good day. _

_ “He doesn’t want to talk about it right now.” Krel translated Seamus’ silence, climbing off the bike and helping him unbuckle his helmet. _

_ Jordan’s crooked grin dropped quickly, “Should I get Mae?” He dropped the tool in his hand before walking over to the trailer, closely looking over the stuff they brought. They had taken everything besides the bed frame and mattresses.  _

_ Seamus shook his head quickly, his jaw clenched. Bad move apparently, the rest of him started shaking too. He felt Krel's hands on his shoulders, thumbs kneading through his tee. _

_ "Aye," the man spoke quietly, his own hand placing itself on Seamus' back, giving the teen a gentle pat. "Mae's doin' some cleanin' in the basement, you two go on in an' sneak upstairs for a spell. I'll unhook the trailer an' haul everything inta the garage for ye." _

_ Krel took Seamus by the arm and tugged, encouraging the blonde off the bike then guiding him up to the house, through the front door where they could hear Seamus' mom singing cheerfully from the open basement door on their right. Neither teen bothered with toeing off their shoes, just staying silent as Krel kept nudging Seamus along up the stairs and down the hall to the final door on the left. _

_ The room was clean, mostly from lack of use since Seamus had only recently moved in, it was supposed to feel cozy as a guest room with grayish-brown walls and a thick, soft beige carpet; there was a couple of photographs on the walls, one of a yacht in the distance at some sunny place and one of the night sky, stars so clear that it couldn't have been taking anywhere nearby; the basic furniture, a double sized bed centered against the far wall below the window that faced one neighbor’s house, his desk placed across from the door below the other window overlooking the backyard, then there was the dresser, atop was some pictures Seamus’ mom dug out and put into frames. _

_ Three steps into the room and Seamus dropped to his knees then face planted into the carpet, he didn’t want to care that they probably tracked dirt and gross muck from the garage on to his mom’s clean carpets, didn’t want to care that the truth of the current situation will be out in just an hour or so, didn’t want to care that his parents, despite having been long since divorced, are going to start fighting, again. He just didn’t want to care right now, but he was drowning in it.  _

_ He turned his head when he heard the door softly click shut, watched as Krel’s sort-of clean white sneakers passed by his head. The springs of the bed squeaked in protest of applied weight then Krel’s sneakers reappeared, a pillow dropping to the ground behind them, Krel lowered himself down and laid out beside Seamus, a second pillow held to his chest. The Cantelopian turned his head to look at the blonde, intelligent brown eyes locking with his, this close Seamus could almost make out the slightest specks of blue. _

_ “Pillow?” Seamus blinked, almost surprised by the offer, looking at the plush item as it was handed in his direction. He took it, lifting himself up then dropping back down with a huff when the cushion was in place. As comfortable as the carpet was, the pillow was a much better improvement, he let his eyes rest, aching, burning, and probably dry. _

_ “Thanks.” He basically whispered, his throat felt sore even though he’s barely spoken a word. _

_ “Of course.” Krel turned his head to face the ceiling and Seamus buried his face into the pillow. Maybe he can smother himself to death and this nightmare could be over. _

_ They just stayed like that for what felt like ages, the silence morphed from worry and depression to still those things but less. The faint sound of a vacuum from the basement, and maybe Jordon grunting from outside, Seamus could hear quick clicking, Krel was probably texting someone, hopefully not about the present issues. _

_ “Pizza?” _

_ Seamus opened his eyes, Krel was staring at his phone held up towards the ceiling, his arms fully extended. He always wondered how the other teen could stand doing that for hours on end with no sign of discomfort. _

_ “Hm?” _

_ “Do you want to get a pizza?” Krel asked, eyes flicking over at him for only a moment. “Maybe I could interest you in anchovies this time?” He smirked at the sound of Seamus snorting into his pillow. _

_ “That is a disgusting idea.” Seamus faked a gagging sound. “But I could go for a chicken bacon ranch.” _

_ Krel let his phone drop on to his chest, a resounding thump against his sternum, his index fingers on both hands waving pointedly at the ceiling. “Whoever had the idea to use ranch as a pizza sauce should be strung up by his toes and flogged as public entertainment.” _

_ Seamus realized how much his ribs ached from laying on his stomach when he laughed. “That’s pretty dark of you Krel.” He rolled on to his side so he was facing the other teen. _

_ The prince hummed pleasantly with an almost catlike smirk on his face. "Well, I was partially raised by a war general and master interrogator after all." _

_ "Right," Seamus snorted again, "hard to forget your 'grandpa geezer.'" The two chuckled to themselves as if it were some inside joke. The math duel did leave impressions on everyone. Seamus felt his smile slip a bit, guilt nagging at the back of his mind. "Sorry, about all of that." _

_ Krel suddenly looked worried again before relaxing, a nicer smile tugging at his lips. "I know. It wasn't one of my top ten problems though at the time, you know." He waved his hand in the air dismissively, turning his gaze back to the ceiling. "It's not like you knew either." _

_ "Yea…" It didn't make Seamus feel much better, but he'll have to take it. He rolled again, this time on to his back, staring up at the ceiling. He should get some new stars to stick up. "You still didn't deserve it. I didn't even get to go-" _

_ "Seamus." The bigger teen froze at the edge in Krel's voice, and the rarity of Krel actually saying his name. _

_ "Yea?" _

_ "Let it go." _

_ "Easier to say…" _

_ "It's not impossible to do though." _

_ Seamus sighed, bringing a hand up to his forehead. "Still hard to believe he left." But some part of him wasn't surprised at all. At the edge of his peripheral vision, he saw Krel nod like he understood. "We should go if we want to make it before Gio's closes." He sat up. _

_ Krel followed suit, "Are you sure?" _

_ Seamus nodded. "I don't want to be here when mom sees my stuff in the garage." He pushed himself up off of the carpet and on to his feet, then picked up his pillow and tossed it back on his bed. "She knew I was going to talk to dad, probably figured it wouldn't have gone well anyway." Not like it went well at all. _

_ "Alright." _

_ They were just as quiet on the way back downstairs as they were going up, wary of his mom's voice coming from the kitchen, it sounded like she was on the phone with someone. Seamus waved his hand to Krel, signaling to hurry. _

_ "No, I haven't heard anything yet… Yes I'm very worried. I've always been reluctant about leaving Seamus with his father… I know… Adam was so insistent that 'a boy needs his father'. Believe you me I wish I didn't listen to him. Seamus used to be so angry when we would talk, he's calmed down so much-" _

_ Seamus shut the front door as quickly and quietly as possible, breathing a sigh of relief. Always nice to know that mom has people besides Uncle Jordon to talk to about her worries, even if they are talking about Seamus.  _

_ He blinked dumbly at the raised brow Krel was giving him. "What?" _

_ "What did your mom mean by 'leaving you with your dad'? Along with your dad's reasoning that a boy needs his father?" Yea, that last part was utter bullshit. At least someone else saw it. _

_ "In my parents divorce, my mom got custody over me and dad was trying to keep his involvement in my life," Seamus explained walking beside Krel to the motorcycle. "Hence the absolute bs excuse he came up with at the time. Not like it was the only one though."  _

_ Krel scoffed in agreement at that statement, he's gotten himself into one or two arguments with Seamus' dad over 'small' things. Thankfully, they only happened with witnesses around so anyone who saw Mr. Johnson being an ass knew for sure just who he was being an ass to. Even if it was funny watching a sixteen year old act more mature than a man in his forties over a thing like space camp. _

_ "Are ye two off then?" Jordon huffed from the garage, hands on his hips standing next to the heaping trailer. Did he really just heave that up bare handed? Why didn't he use the riding lawn mower? _

_ "Just getting some pizza, Uncle Jo." Seamus said. _

_ Jordon's face lit up with a big grin, his arms shooting upward. "He speaks!" He laughed at the not-really annoyed expression on the teen's face. The boys exchanged amused-slash-sort-of-annoyed looks as Krel handed Seamus the spare helmet before buckling on his own. _

_ Krel backed the bike onto the road by himself before Seamus climbed on behind him, Jordon waving from the house. _

_ "Stay away from breakables!" The man hollered. _

_ Okay, maybe going back out into public was a bad idea. Especially to a family friendly restaurant such as Giovanni's Pizzeria, but it was the best pizza joint in town. Gods dammit. Everything  _ was  _ fine, the ride to town was fine, like the first time Seamus and Krel test drove the bike, or the first time Krel let Seamus drive the bike, everything was fine, problems were stored away to deal with later. Until they walked through the door. _

_ Three families were seated in immediate view; a dual parent team with two kids bouncing in their booth showing off their kid menu colorings, a dad probably on a court ordered visitation with his two uninterested tweens, and an exhausted mother that probably just didn't want to cook peacefully enjoying conversation with her daughter. The temporary peace to Seamus' mind had vanished even as Ron, one of the servers they usually see, greets them. _

_ "Seamus, my dude! Krel!" The college girl cheered, waving away the hostess that was approaching. "How's it going guys?" It took her a minute to register the strain in the athletic teen's face as Krel teetered his hand back and forth. "Oh, so I guess you're not up to trying an experimental recipe tonight." _

_ "Some other time." Krel confirmed. Ron nodded, gesturing for them to follow her further into the restaurant. _

_ Seamus tried to ignore the loud chatter and forced cheer by tuning into the local radio music playing through the speakers hanging from the corners of the ceiling. Forcing himself to breathe evenly. _

_ "So, a medium pizza, half meat lovers and half Hawaiian with anchovy. Right?" Ron asked, already writing down the order in her notepad. _

_ "Actually, two personal pizzas, one Hawaiian with anchovy," Krel began correcting as he took a seat in their usual booth. _

_ "And a chicken bacon ranch." Seamus finished for him, taking the seat across from him. He was glad Krel took the seat facing the front of the store so he didn't have to watch the families interact. _

_ Ron blinked at the pair in surprise, a rare change in choices, but she tore out and crumpled the slip, quickly scribbling down the new orders. "Alright then, the usual drinks? Or are we changing those too?" She joked lightly as if trying to lift the mood. _

_ Krel, at least, gave a small snicker. "The same drinks, please." The college student nodded and walked away, leaving the two alone. Krel's brow furrowed again with concern. "Seamus," he reached out, lightly touching Seamus' forearm. _

_ "I did everything," Krel looked startled by the bitterness in his voice, but his hand stayed where it was. "Everything he asked, I did without question or a complaint. Good grades, top of the class, tried out for sports, trained more than enough for said sports- fuck." Seamus hissed, raising the arm Krel was touching to cover his head. "It was like pulling teeth to get anything  _ I  _ wanted." He felt his foot start bouncing anxiously. "Grade A parenting." He added sarcastically. _

_ "Is there something I can do to help?" Krel asked softly, his head tipping slightly to the side. _

_ If Seamus was honest, he didn't like seeing that look on Krel's face, it didn't suit him, but, neither did the casually annoyed expression Krel usually wore. A smug grin or even his maniacal laughter that made him look like a madman was better than the worry on his face now. _

_ "You've done more than enough already." Seamus answered finally. "Thanks for helping me move by the way." He tried to pull off a smirk, not completely confident it worked though from under his hiding spot. _

_ "Of course." Krel obviously put more effort in his grin, adding a cocky touch. "I'm just generous like that." Damn, Miss Janeth should definitely ask him to join for the play. He's a good actor when he wants to be. _

_ They continued like that, talking quietly, steering conversation clear of any upsetting subject, one upping each other with hilariously embarrassing stories about Steve and Aja, ignoring people coming and going by their table, chatting more pleasantly with Ron when he stopped by with their drinks and, eventually, their pizzas. Seamus was actually starting to feel good again until _ she _ showed up. _

_ Amidst the customers waiting either for their takeout orders or to be seated. The realtor lady was there in her mint green pantsuit, not a worry in the world, being escorted to the takeout counter. Something in Seamus snapped. Krel must have seen her too, he didn't appear too surprised when the blonde shot out of his seat and almost ran out of the restaurant, not listening when his name was called out. He didn't go far, just pacing under the next lamppost over in a mental argument with himself about leaving Krel with the bill and getting away from his own problems. Yea, like getting away from his problems worked last time. Two weeks and boom! Problems just decided to leave town without so much as a note. Fuck that, that wasn't his fault. Seamus moved because he need space to fucking think without being yelled at. It's not his fault his dad couldn't stand being alone or the thought of his son actually having a mind of his own! Could have talked sooner. No, Seamus wasn't near ready for that. Besides, it's not like dad called either or even tried looking for him. Geez, he's mostly hung around school since tryouts started again for the soccer team. Communication is key, sometimes you have to make the first step. FUCK THAT! _

_ Seamus didn't even realize Krel followed after him until the Cantelopian's voice spoke louder than his thoughts. _

_ "Seamus!" Hands grabbed at his, stopping them from pulling out his hair, he didn't even realize, or feel any pain from it. He could feel liquid running down his face, embarrassing, fucking dammit. A hollow thwang echoed in the quiet street, pain ignited from the knuckles of his right hand, finally. _

_ "Seamus," Krel repeated more firmly, grabbing the stray limb and guiding the bigger teen's hands down to his sides. "Just breathe. Okay?" He took a deep inhale through his nose and then exhaled from his mouth as an example. _

_ Seamus tried to copy but air kept catching in his lungs as he desperately fought to keep from sobbing. "'S ha-hard." _

_ Krel brought his hands up again, gently caressing the boy's face, wiping away some of the tears. "I know, Seamus. The pressure built up from so much, it's hard now, but it will get easier," his voice was soft but pained, of course it was. Krel had lost his parents just weeks ago. "Not today, and not tomorrow, not even next month," Krel's head shook with dry humor, "but one day it will be." The words were spoken like they were to convince more than just him. _

_ "Now, breath again for me?" Seamus nodded, copying Krel again a little steadier this time. He was starting to realize how focused Krel's eyes were on him, or how even though his eyes looked coal black this late in the evening they were so warm, or just how close to each other they were. He felt thumbs wipe again at the slowing stream of tears, his hand ached still as he brought it up to cover one of Krel's. Maybe it was just the stress, or how much deeper the breathing exercises Krel uses was messing with his head, but, this wasn't bad, being so close. Krel's hands were warm. _

_ "Good," Krel praised him with a smile, "and once more." Together, the boys breathed in. On the exhale, Seamus bent down, his brain shutting down with the motion, and closed the few inches between them, pressing their mouths together, letting his eyelids fall shut. Krel made a noise of surprise, he didn't pull away though. Krel's lips surprisingly chapped but Seamus couldn't find it in himself to care, his own were probably the same; feeling the smaller teen's exhale fan over his face, hearing another small noise, almost like a sigh. _

_ Seamus' brain reconnected when he felt Krel's body press against his own, the one hand Seamus wasn't holding stroked down his face and fell, resting on his chest, only now did he realize what he had done. He kissed Krel. Correction: he  _ is _ kissing Krel. He is still presently kissing  _ Krel Tarron _. What is he thinking? What does  _ Krel  _ think? Is this pity? Is that why Krel hasn't pulled away? Pity? No, no, nonono. Would he have moved closer if it was just that? _

_ As the one to initiate this… situation, Seamus was also the one to pull away first. Heart beating a million miles an minute but his breathing was even after the first stammer, renewed knots twisting in his stomach. He stared down at the boy before him, eyes still closed as if expecting more. Honestly, the idea of more seemed appealing. More ease, more comfort, more kisses, more Krel, just more…  _

_ Those eyes blinked open slowly, a dazed expression remaining, and Seamus' senses returned. They were outside the pizzeria, under a lamppost; Seamus was supposed to be in the middle of a mental crisis, Krel was intending to calm him. Could this day get anymore fucked up? What the hell was he thinking?! _

_ Heat flared over his face, taking one step back and then another, he released Krel's hand, regretting it immediately as it's warmth disappeared. His breathing hitched again when the dazed expression turned to confusion. What was he doing? About to get away again? _

_ "S- Ah- Um, I…" Seamus swallowed down the thick ball of saliva, another step back. Was he going to run? Absolutely. "I'm sorry!" And off the so-called smartest athlete went. Leaving behind the only other intelligent being behind in utter bewilderment. _

Steve slapped a napkin over his mouth to keep from spitting out his food, broad shoulders shaking with laughter. Seamus stared at him unamused, scratching his fork through what little he had left of his cheesecake.

His mom and uncle laughed too, that day, er, night. He ran nonstop all the way home, nearly giving the two adults heart attacks, then he explained what was happening. First starting with the fact that his dad left, oh the rampage his mom went on, shouting every profanity she knew - which was apparently a lot - while himself and Uncle Jordon sat on the couch half listening to her go off. Only Jordon seemed to notice something else was off with the teen, and when he got mom to calm down enough to pay attention and listen the evening just got more embarrassing. At least until Seamus explained what his thought process was. Then it got worse.

_ "Angry and upset!?"  _ Seamus recalled Jordon hooting between bellowing laughs.  _ "If that's what it took for ye ta kiss the boy, then it shoulda happened ages ago!" _

"You ran?" Steve demanded with a manic grin. "You just ran?" He beat his fist on the table quiet enough not to alarm the other patrons but hard enough to shake their tableware. "Man, and I thought my clumsy invitation to a bonfire with Aja was a disaster."

"Yea, yea, laugh it up." Seamus weakly mocked the other man.

Steve leaned forward on the table excitedly. "Then what happened?"

Seamus scowled again for the umpteenth time today. "You already know what happened. After that weekend, I became a jerk to everyone that remotely looked in Krel's direction, remember?"

"Oooh, yea…" Steve nodded, snickering from the back of his throat. "So, that's how that started." He took a long drink of his watered down tea. "But that was the creepy, weird, territorial phase." He pointed out, tapping the lip of his cup. "When did you guys start dating?"

Seamus turned the scowled down to the few bites of his cheesecake, and pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. That month was by far, not his proudest in any of the waking hours where Krel was within his reach, and so many others. They didn't talk during the weekend after the kiss, and when they saw each other at school on Monday, Seamus apologized for running off without mentioning it at all and Krel went along with it. The days went on per norm, until Seamus noticed how friendly Krel was with people, _ guys, _ outside of school hours. Douxie was the first unfortunate victim, typical to be insecure by an older guy, even though Krel never once showed a preference for  _ anyone _ , Seamus couldn't help it. But it was surprising that Krel interacted with more than just the few he knew, which led to so many conclusions jumped to and many more misunderstandings. 

"Remember when Hank asked Krel out, and he said yes -" while looking Seamus dead in the eye "- and I accidentally broke his skateboard?"

Steve sucked air in through his teeth, cringing at the memory. "Yea, it was actually Aja's but I'm still almost certain he would've murdered you in a worse way than if it was his own board."

Seamus nodded in agreement, swallowing nervously. "Yea, anyway, I went over to his house with a new skateboard - well, technically it was a longboard, but whatever - and I caught him when he was coming home from his date with Hank in a complete rage. Long story short, I got dragged in, listened to his rant about how narcissistic Hank was, and we had a very long talk."

"Talk about…." Steve urged him to continue.

Seamus sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. "Things that need to be discussed and rules." He answered vaguely making Steve pout.

"No details?" Great, he was still doing the puppy eyes bit.

"I already gave you plenty." Seamus glared at the man.

"Well, fuck."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo.... A lil bit of a backstory.... Yea....


	3. Chapter 3

Stuart’s Electronics. It was once just another store that surrounded the park, it sold a number of outdated tech from brick cell phones of the 80s to last year’s probably useless macbooks, a relatively new repair service similar to Hextechs, and it had a small alley at its side that made an easy shortcut to the residential district. It’s owner and namesake, Stuart, also runs the taco truck - probably - that’s usually wherever the nearest hotspot is for hungry high schoolers that are rebelling against their parents by either not going home or snuck out of their homes after curfew. Then the store, itself, became a hangout for a while when a teen genius settled into town. 

Krel. As for why Stuart let complete control over his store fall to a random teenager that’s only been around maybe three months? No one really understood.

For Seamus, it was another hideout, on days he didn’t want to go home to his dad after practice or when his dad was looking for him around town, he could duck into the store and Krel would let him hide behind the counter for a couple hours. Days were good back then -- sort of.

Now, it was like he was meeting his executioner, the setting sun and the street lamps turning on one by one really set the mood, all he was missing was an angry mob. Stores were starting to lock up for the night, cars starting up for the trips home.

He still didn’t have a plan, which was terrifying to think about. No plan and a hardly decent apology. Facing Krel like this might as well be a death sentence. But he’s opening the door anyway.

It wasn’t the tinny bell above the door that used to greet him, it was a proper solemn toll of an electronic doorbell. His head is on the chopping block waiting for the blade to drop, swallowing the lump in his throat like it would be his last.

“Douxie, I am certain I have told you before, I don’t go out on inventory night.” Seamus felt himself freeze up in a way he hadn’t since his and Krel’s first date. It's been so long since Seamus heard his voice, he'd almost forgotten.

Krel was standing right there, behind the counter, facing away from the door, tapping away at a tablet as he looked over the small corner of spare parts; the sleeves of his blue hoodie were pushed up to his elbows and, wow, his hair had grown long enough for it to drape over his shoulder in a loose braid.

Seamus’s mouth opened to… He didn’t know what to say. Hi? Hey? How’s it been? Long time, no see? His mouth just hung open, anything he could say and everything he wanted to say stuck in his throat. Where would he even start?

The extended silence weighed heavy between them, unbeknownst to one for the many deafening heartbeats as Seamus scrambled for anything to say. When Krel turned around, confusion furrowing his brow, the blonde jumped, feeling the blade of his mental guillotine drop a teasing few inches, and just like at the baby shower there was a jumpstart of emotion in the Cantelopian's eyes followed by conflict. Standing there, just staring, waiting for someone to make the first move. That sounds a lot like when they first got together. Wait -- those beads in Krel's braid look familiar.

_ “Hiding again, Johnson?” Krel smirked with a strange look of unsurprised and entertained. _

"Well," Seamus blinked back to attention. The smile on Krel's face was tight, borderline scornful as he slowly placed the tablet atop the service counter. "I am so glad you've decided to grace me with your presence." His head tilted ever so slightly to the left, eyes narrow, if contempt had a face Krel's in this moment would be perfect.

"It's been a long time," Seamus dropped his gaze, hearing the sort of wise words Jordon told him once when he and Krel fought before.

_ "Ye've done wrong, and ye know that. Now take the punishment ye earned. Don't lose your head." _

Krel hummed, his head rolling in the other direction, false thought in the action. "Only twelve years, ten months, two weeks, and a day." His palms were flat on the countertop but his fingers stretched and relaxed as he talked. "But who is keeping track?" He picked up the electronic again and returned to tapping at the screen, disinterest replacing the contempt. Seamus always said he could be a good actor when he wanted. He was really good at covering up whatever he wanted to hide with logic.

"I don't need to ask what you've been up to, seeing as everyone else keeps me up to date. Sorry for being the last to congratulate you." He spared half of a glance at the blonde, giving a hollow chuckle. "NASA space program, you always dreamed of going there."

Alarms were going off in his head, Seamus couldn't tell if the guillotine was going to drop now or soon, not sure which he'd prefer either. He wasn't allowed to ask for mercy though.

"Krel-"

"One thing I would like you to explain,  _ Johnson _ ," Krel put special emphasis on his name, like Seamus should know better than to think they were anywhere casual anymore. Honestly, that was expected, Seamus said Krel's name out of habit. It still hurt though.

"You left three days before I came back from Cantelopia, when we were still talking. You received the acceptance letter from the program a week beforehand, according to your mother, but you never said anything."

"I-" Krel's right hand went up to silence him, giving a pointed look similar to a teacher's disapproval at a disruptive student. 

"I heard almost everything from your family, and pretty much from everyone else in town. I have texted you -" Seamus knew, he read them all "- I have called you -" he listened to every voicemail "- but you never once returned the courtesy. I tried for  _ three years, _ I tried. Hanging on to the thought that you were just as busy as everyone kept encouraging me to believe. Do you know how long it took for people to get the idea that I was sick and tired of hearing how you were doing and what you were doing from everyone  _ but you _ ?" Now Krel was starting to look angry, his shoulders hunching upward, Seamus could see the tension in his neck; when people say that eyes are the window to the soul, looking into Krel’s eyes was like looking through a window into hell as he slowly set the tablet back down, Seamus figured it was so he wouldn’t throw it. Meanwhile, a mantra of ‘take the bullet’ rallied in the blonde’s head.

"Do you understand just how infuriating it is when your boyfriend shares his dream come true with  _ everybody else besides you?" _

Seamus waited for a minute in case he wasn't done before mumbling a response. "That does sound frustrating." 

"I'm glad you agree." The venomous sarcasm was scalding.

"I am sorry, really, I am," Seamus spoke carefully, urgently, taking a single step forward. "I really was busy the first few days but after that, I have no excuse -"

"Thank Gaylen for that -" Krel's eyes rolled.

"I did want to say something, really," he tested another step toward the counter, "but nothing sounded good enough, I just -"

"- Couldn't figure out what to say… How surprising." Krel’s eyes rolled again before focus to scowl at Seamus, arms crossing over his chest. "You were always so predictable. Come any closer and I promise you will find yourself hurt." He growled the warning as he bowed his head, glaring from under his eyelashes, the grip he had on his arms tightening.

Seamus instantly stepped back and coughed quietly. Okay, so it wasn't a death sentence, it was only a torture session, something to send chills up and down his spine. He hated these but enjoyed it in some twisted way. Being called predictable hurt but at least he wasn't getting immediately shut down, and now he recognized those beads, the rest were still in one of the unopened boxes at his house. Maybe…

"You… You look great though. Sorry, I didn't say anything yesterday at the shower." He tried to keep his voice steady, and the rest of him somewhat relaxed, bringing his hand up to rub the back of his neck.

Krel raised his head again, brows arching as disinterest returned to his features. "Staying away was the better idea, Mary might have caused a scene if you didn't." Alright, dismissing the compliment, and he hasn't demanded for Seamus to leave. "Which wouldn't have gone well considering it was such a lovely occasion."

Seamus nodded in agreement. “How have you been?” He asked, encouraging the conversation. “Mary and Darci used to keep me posted and Steve kind of stopped bringing you up after a while.”

“I can’t imagine why.” Krel replied monotonously, raising a brow with suspicion. “But if you absolutely must know, your uncle is still a semi-sober womanizer, your mother a delight; my sister, who still tries to convince me to return to Cantelopia, married a man with an IQ lower than Steve’s and an attitude worse than Hank’s and she had his son; meanwhile, Mary insists I join her on a ridiculous number of double dates every other month and sets me up on even more ridiculous blind dates under the stupid guise of “I need to get out more” when I would much rather say fuck it and just go home. Steve and Eli like to invite me out to “just hang” when I typically end up third wheeling a balancing act of a date or an argument, and hopefully with Jim and Claire preparing for their baby, Toby will stop “checking in” on me. Otherwise, I just focus on my work.” And that sounds like a lot to unpack. Krel shrugged as if he didn’t care. “But, I suppose, that’s nothing exciting compared to an oversized space camp.”

Nothing could have stopped him, Seamus knew it, Krel obviously knew it - he wouldn’t have said it otherwise - and they both knew that the other knew. So many posters, snow globes, t-shirts and sweatshirts, tourist visit photos, and everything else that stood as evidence that Seamus’ next actions were set in stone. He took the bait; hook, line, and sinker.

“It’s not the same as space camp.” The words flew out of his mouth before he could stop them. Seven words, just seven, spoken a little too loudly, a little too defensively, in a small used electronics store. But they were seven words that made Krel’s lip curl upward in a sneer.

“My apologies,” the prince’s head tipped sideways again, the lightness in his voice didn’t hide the edge behind it at all. “You are correct. At space camp, you at the very least texted me in your free time.” The guillotine dropped a steeper distance, hair raising on the back of Seamus’ neck. Get your final words in, Johnson.

“I-I… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell.” The blonde said quickly, though he’d hardly call it yelling but he was on the losing end right now, so it’s yelling. “I don’t want to fight, really, I came to apologize. I wanted to say something, I did, but I panicked and nothing sounded right. I kept writing and rewriting and thinking, and over-thinking, it just got so bad. You know how bad it gets.”

“I know?” Krel’s expression turned contemplative, he gave a small hum before nodding. “I do know, yes. Huh, funny, I let you get by a lot with that when we were younger. I  _ forgave  _ a lot of your behaviors because  _ I know. _ ” He met Seamus’ eyes evenly, there wasn’t anger in his eyes or even the initial bitterness, there wasn’t anything except the solid knowledge of what Krel knew. It was unnerving. “I do know. I know you. I know how bad it gets for you. I know you pressure yourself too much. I know you don’t work well under pressure too.” Krel uncrossed his arms, pulling his sleeves down to his wrists, and tossed his braid over his shoulder. “I also know that you are an adult. And, I know you can deal with the consequences of your actions.” The small smile that formed on his face could have been considered cute if it weren’t for the hollowness in his eyes, coal black despite the lighting. Seamus should have figured, should have known better.

“Good night, Mr. Johnson.”

And there it was, the final inches were the blade hung was no more, Seamus’ head was in a basket, dead at the prince’s request. No no no, this wasn’t done yet.

“Krel, wait,” the man behind the counter hadn’t even turned around yet, only picking up his tablet again and turning on the screen, he looked up with the beginnings of annoyance. Seamus swallowed another ball in his throat. “I-is there anything I can do? To.. to make it up to you?” He pleaded, doing little to hide the desperation in his voice. “Even a little?”

The prince blinked at him in honest surprise, but it was gone in an instant. “Anything?” Seamus nodded hastily, eagerly. Krel brushed his thumb over his bottom lip, it would be a lie if Seamus said that he didn’t follow the motion a little closer than he should have. “Tell your mother I won’t be able to make it to dinner on Saturday.” Then, Krel turned away leaving the blonde stunned.

“What?” Seamus blinked in disbelief. That’s it?

“I don’t like repeating myself,” Krel said dully. “You know that.” He waved his hand to dismiss Seamus.

The blonde stepped back, almost stumbling into the door, his hand fumbled for the doorknob. Stepping outside, he thought over the last few minutes; the hype, the anxiety, sheer terror, the jabs only Krel could make hurt, the fall into his grave, all the way to this point and time after he pulled the door shut.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The door shut, chased by the lonely toll of the doorbell and Krel was alone again, staring at the screen in his hand. The device shook in his trembling hands, blurring the screen almost as bad as the swell of tears in his eyes, he kept trying to blink them away, refusing to cry when  _ he _ was still just outside the door. He didn’t need to look at the numbers, they rarely ever changed, it was just a night Krel made up so “people” would leave him in peace. The store didn’t often get business, it does only because Hextech doesn’t do house calls, but Krel didn’t mind, he liked the quiet, the freedom to do his own thing.

Krel wiped away the liquid threatening to spill from his eyes, taking a breath, and turned the tablet off, putting it in it’s personal drawer and plugging in its charger. Might as well call it a night, there wasn’t really anything else to do. Walking around the counter, he approached the large display window, jumping when he saw movement at the far edge of the glass before rolling his eyes at himself. Seamus and his stupid black shirts. He pulled the string for the blinds and let them drop, then flipped the switch for the neon open sign and flipped the sign on the door, turning around he caught a whiff of something familiar. Cologne. There’s only been one person in the store since lunch.

“Kleb.” Krel fell back against the door, sliding down it in a heap. It had been so long and yet he hadn’t forgotten. It would be so much easier if Seamus didn’t look as good as Krel remembered. Showing up to the party yesterday was such a shock that he hardly slept the night before, as if he slept most nights at all. But the smell wafting around him, the smell of Seamus, it dropped him back into high school during one of their “study nights” at Krel’s house; a bad, early technicolor sci-fi movie playing the background, pinned to his own couch by the bigger teen exchanging lazy kisses, tired from the day and just overall bad sleeping schedules, and snickering about the latest antics of their classmates. How young they were, and how foolish. The folly of youth after all.

Krel sniffled, rubbing the sleeves of his sweatshirt over his face before pushing himself back up. He waved his hand in the air as if that would blow away the nostalgic scent, he doesn’t want the memories, or want to go home now. A bitter sigh left his lips as he hit the lightswitch on his way out the door then locking it, turning around to face his motorcycle.

Emphasis on  _ his, _ not  _ theirs. _ Krel made this one alone, no help, no supervision. The old bike Krel put together was a 2015 Norton, he had covered the original decal with black paint with two bright blue lines just the slightest different shades on the sides, it resided under the shelter attached to the house Krel had made into his garage, covered with a sheet, untouched. The bike in front of him is a 1975 Norton Commando Roadster, still painted black but with blue circles on the sides and around the ignition and lines of the same color trailing from the circles to the seat. Krel was proud of his work, he had every right to be, it was his first big project after accepting that Seamus won’t talk to him anymore. The beautifully therapeutic machine was solely  _ his. _

The prince mounted the bike, careful of the large case attached to the bike’s side, and started it up. The beastly roar of the machine beneath him and the following purr was the only thing that made him feel alive anymore, made him feel powerful, the perfect ride built by his hand, he could already hear Mary scoffing at him for having a god complex. She’s not quite wrong but she’s not much better than him with her habit to manipulate the people around her.

He pulled his helmet down on his head and snapped the visor down, kicking up the kickstand and getting the bike into motion. Krel drove off of the main roads away from Arcadia, away from home.

There was a little clearing in the woodland that overlooked the town, if you came at the right time, just after the sun disappeared over the horizon, before parents and night owls decided to call it a night, it was as if stars glittered on Earth. Krel pulled up on the unused dirt road that led there, grateful there weren't any teens around in their cars or on the latest Vespa model, he was alone still. Cutting the engine and dismounting, he turned to the case attached to the bike, flipping the clasps and opening it. Inside was the guitar he accidentally - it was a life or death situation - stole when he and Aja first moved to Arcadia, the stickers on it were faded and partially scratched off, he gently took it by the neck and pulled it out, shutting the case again afterwards. Turning to walk up the small incline, Krel couldn’t help reminisce the first time he realized what this little hideaway was.

_ “Trust me,” Seamus grinned almost mischievously, keeping his eyes on the path so he wouldn’t drive the van into a tree. “You’ll love it.” _

_ “That’s not very comforting,” Krel joked from the passenger seat, “considering we’ve been watching horror movies all week.” His grin broaded when the other boy laughed. _

_ “Okay, okay,” Seamus shook his head, grinning nonsensically, raising one hand from the steering wheel. “Scout’s honor, I promise not to murder you in a horrific and dramatic way in the middle of the woods, hunt you for sport, or attempt to sacrifice you to some demonic entity, or turn you into a demonic entity. Better?” _

_ “Almost.” They both just laughed as the vehicle came to a stop. _

_ “This place looks familiar.” Krel commented once he got out of the van and looked around. The arrangement of the large boulders in the distance looked almost like a desecrated wall, a single lamppost flickering with attempts to stay alive during the sun’s absence stood guard next to a beat up looking dumpster bin. _

_ “Really?” Seamus questioned as he lifted open the trunk door, he sounded a little disappointed. “That’s a shame.” _

_ “How so?” _

_ The blonde shrugged, making a weird noise in his throat, as he grabbed a folded blanket out of his van. “Well- It’s not really. This is kinda the coolest place in the county,” he explained, shutting the trunk. “I just wasn’t the guy to show it to you.”  _

_ Krel raised a brow at him but smiled. Seamus has gotten better with the possessiveness, he also gets less agitated when his surprises don’t get the response he hopes, like when he invited Krel over to light off fireworks. _

_ “No one showed me, Seamus.” The prince bumped his shoulder into the taller teen, smirking at the color rising on Seamus’ face. “I ran through these woods a lot to get away from bounty hunters.” _

_ “Oh.” Seamus’ face got redder with embarrassment, he jerked his head in the direction of the boulders. “Sorry.” He took the lead, walking over to the large rocks.  _

_ “It is fine.” Krel walked beside him. Admittedly, bringing up the bounty hunters probably wasn’t the best idea, ever since Aja reclaimed the throne in the name of House Tarron the hunters stopped almost instantly. It was just a reminder of his status and a reminder to Seamus that he was royalty. Krel took Seamus’ empty hand in his, stroking his thumb on the back of the other’s hand. “This is nicer.” He knew it was the right thing to say, judging by the bashful smile that appeared on Seamus’ face. _

_ The blonde gave a short laugh, squeezing Krel’s hand once before letting go. “I’m glad.” He unfolded the blanket and spread it out over the grass with a flourish, then waved his hand over it, inviting Krel to sit. With a chuckle, the prince settled atop the blanket, Seamus sat beside him, scooting in close before sitting back with his hands on the ground behind them. Krel leaned back on him and they both looked up at the sky, all the stars twinkling above them, and the moon in it’s final stage of gibbous before becoming whole. _

_ “It’s beautiful.” Krel sighed after a moment. _

_ “Yea…” _

_ “If you are staring at me as you say that, you leave me no choice but to call you a romantic cliche.” The smaller teen turned his head to catch the other staring at him as expected. _

_ Caught red handed, Seamus laughed nervously, quickly looking away. “Okay, okay, I’m sorry. I couldn’t help it.” Krel hummed at him with a false underwhelmed tone, arms crossing, making him laugh more which only resulted in the prince laughing along with him. It was times like these that made the prince glad he stayed, to discover something so… sweet.  _

_ Krel was surprised when his boyfriend planted a sudden kiss on his cheek, feeling his face heat up, he pushed away from Seamus before covering his face. Since when did he get so flustered so easily? “Can you get any more sappy?” _

_ “Wanna find out, Tarron?” There was a challenge in the question, and if Seamus knew anything about Krel it was that he loved a challenge. The blonde was already grinning like he knew he had won. _

_ “What else do you have in mind, Johnson?”  _

_ Seamus shifted awkwardly on to his side and pulled something out of his back pocket, a folded piece of paper. “This one might take a while but it will be worth it, promise.” He explained as he unfolded the page, scooting away just enough so the faint, flickering light could shine between them. It was a flyer with NASA as the headline. It was for a training program. _

_ “You may need to explain a little more.” Krel said, tipping his head in confusion. _

_ “NASA is looking for people to train as astronauts,” Seamus replied with a soft chuckle, his excitement obvious. “Would bringing you a piece of the moon be more sappy?” _

_ A giggle, an actual giggle left the genius’ lips, Krel leaned back against Seamus’ chest. “That is very sappy. I wish you luck on ever beating that.” _

_ Seamus grinned broadly, setting the flyer down on the blanket beside him, beside them. _

Now, Krel sat alone atop one of the boulders, his legs crossed, and the guitar in his lap, voices of the memories behind him. His fingers toyed with the strings as he listened carefully to each one being tuned. When it was ready, he started strumming.

_ “Fly me to the moon, and let me play among the stars _

_ Let me see what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars _

_ In other words, hold my hand _

_ In other words, darling, kiss me.” _ Looking out over the town, lights still shown through a few windows. The view was still beautiful, in it’s own way. 

_ “Fill my heart with song, and let me sing for ever more _

_ You are all I long for, all I worship and adore _

_ In other words, please be true _

_ In other words, I love you…” _

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seamus trudged through the door, kicking off his shoes angrily, ignoring the greeting Jordon gave from where he lazed on the sofa, a half-full bottle in hand.

“Itsa bit late innit, nephew?” The man slurred cheerfully. “Twas beginnin’ ta think ye were job searchin’ at some pubs. Ha, wouldn’t be to bad an idea.” Seamus sighed, already annoyed with his uncle. It’s kind of embarrassing that he hadn’t moved out yet, but hey, his mom and uncle have been living together basically since she divorced his dad. A man in his early seventies living with his younger sister, Seamus’ situation shouldn’t be all that embarrassing, but he couldn’t help the feeling.

“You drink enough at home, Jo.” Seamus bit his tongue to stop himself from mimicking his uncle’s stupid accent. “It’d be a pain to serve you at a bar.” He made his way to the stairs, his uncle’s cackling following after him, only to be met by his mom.

“How was your day, honey?” She smiled happily at him, drying her hands with a towel, like it wasn’t just yesterday she had a death grip on his ear and scolded him as if she caught him stealing from Jordon’s stash.

“Rough.” He answered, starting up the stairs, then pausing. “Krel said he wouldn’t make it to dinner on Saturday.”

“Oh, that’s a shame,” he heard her say as he continued upward. “I was looking forward to having all my favorite boys under one roof again.”

Sorry mom, he thought bitterly. It was his fault, he knew it, he’ll be saying sorry for a long time for it too. All because he was too cowardly to make a fucking phonecall.

Pushing open the door to his old bedroom, boxes were stacked everywhere, both opened and unopened, he was hoping to get his own place soon, the rest of his stuff from his old apartment was in storage. Now where are those beads?

He started digging through box after box, they had to be somewhere. They used to be on a necklace, a cheap prize from a festival that was in town. Seamus and Krel were roughhousing and it broke, they turned to the girls about fixing it, but, the girls had another idea. Krel got half strung in his hair and Seamus, since his hair was too short, got the rest on what remained of the cord. Seamus used to wear it all the time but some of the beads were metal and it became a hassle going through a metal detector every day and setting it off. The fact that Krel still has his beads could be a good sign.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm the only writer that enjoys personal suffering right?  
> Anyway, Krel's perspective and more backstory!! Enjoy!
> 
> When I first heard "Fly me to the Moon" by The Macarons Project it just gave me kreamus vibes.  
> Kreamus, Kreamus. Pffft. Why did we all just go with this?? XD


	4. Chapter 4

Dreams. Dreams were the reason Krel either couldn't or simply refused to sleep most nights. But, then again, it wasn't just dreams, per say, it was nightmares. That's the better word. Nightmares.

Nightmares had been a common thing since Morando's coup when he and Aja were mere teenagers, they both found ways to cope with the nightly traumas; Aja used hers to prepare battle strategies, even for the silliest things like Morando being one of their teachers in disguise; Krel, unfortunately, had no such simple relief from the terrors that plagued his subconscious besides work, work, work. He would usually be found after a nightmare in the living room of their house, tinkering at some small project.

It used to be his sister's touch that would comfort him, her voice that could coax him into another short hour or two of sleep, cuddled together on the retro-styled sofa, one of Varvatos' trivia shows playing quietly from the tv.

After Aja left to reclaim the throne, Krel had no more of that comfort, and no more rest. His sleeping habits quickly became sporadic, dozing while he worked at the electronic store, a nap while waiting for the town bus (and missing it), nodding off during class, but, much like when he slept at home, Krel would snap awake hearing the sounds of soldiers storming through the palace, and the screams of frightened civilians as Aja and their parents screamed his name, and startling the entire classroom with a terrified scream of his own.

Senior Uhl, or whatever he addressed himself as at the time, offered a couple of hours to talk about the nightmares, or anything else that was troubling Krel. The offer was kind, much like when the man first assured that Krel and Aja had a home in Arcadia, but the prince would refuse everytime. The man was burdened enough with his title as temporary principal, in fact, the entire town had been burdened by the war against the Tarron family. Suffering a few bad dreams, Krel could handle.

Besides, everything was fine now; what remained of his family was no longer being hunted, and there wasn't a power hungry ex-general murdering innocents to keep his claim on the Cantelopian throne. Everything was… fine.

Krel couldn't recall whose idea it was but someone suggested a class sleepover, after the students who went to study abroad returned for American holidays. They couldn't use Jim's house since his mother and her paramour started fostering the mass number of infants discovered somewhere only the summer before, and Claire's parents refused since her younger brothers were still so young and easy to disturb. It went around like a game of whose house they  _ couldn't _ use, Darci's dad had a strict "no co-ed" policy, Mary's house was too small, Krel's was still under reconstruction, Steve was still embarrassed that his mom was dating their gym teacher for some reason, Logan's older sisters were likely to join and make a mess of things. Eventually it came down to Seamus and Toby, both with decently sized houses and as only children in their families, but since Toby lived directly across from Jim's house the sleepover would be taking place at Seamus', much to Mr. Johnson's disgruntlement.

With a designated place finally set, and a promise to the neighbors no loud noises after 11 pm, Claire and Mary quickly organized who would be bringing what to the sleepover. Toby got video games and some action movies, Jim was assigned cooking materials for the next day's breakfast, the girls had brought incredible amounts of makeup and "self-care" supplies, those who were on a sports team were told to bring equipment in case anyone wanted to start a game outside, Krel was assigned music and night lights, but everyone was specifically told to bring as many blankets and pillows as they could.

It was no secret that Krel suffered nightmares and that made him worry about disturbing the festivities that everyone was so eager to partake in.

When night fell is when his worries became more prominent. Trying to keep from nodding off as the others were falling asleep one by one during a Gun Robot movie marathon, hoping that another few hours awake would put him into a dreamless slumber. Soon enough the only ones awake were himself and Seamus, who Krel didn't realize was awake until the bigger teen got up to go to the kitchen, he still wasn't sure what compelled him to follow.

Krel could recall clearly in the dark of the kitchen of the Johnson household, only the street lamps filtering in through the window in an orange haze as Seamus filled a glass from the tap.

_ "Are you usually up this late?" _ He remembered being startled by the lack of surprise in Seamus' voice.

_ "Later even." _ He remembered answering.

_ Seamus nodded almost solemnly, taking a drink from his glass, the streetlamp outside giving him a slight outline. "Me too." His voice was hushed so as to not disturb the others. _

_ "What keeps you awake?" Krel asked after a moment, leaning back against the counter behind him. He had come to realize that he wasn't the only one who looked exhausted during class, but he was the only one who wakes up screaming. _

_ "Everything." Seamus answered, dumping what he didn't drink down the drain. "A tiny bit of light or a creak of the floorboard, I'm awake. Just a light sleeper I guess." The teen huffed a false laugh. He turned to face Krel, half leaning on the edge of the sink. _

_ Krel tilted his head curiously, eyes narrowing. "I believe that is more than just light sleeping." _

_ Seamus shrugged half heartedly. "It's what happens when you stress too much about being caught not studying. At least that's my experience." He fell quiet for a moment before asking, "What about you? Judging by how scared you looked last time it couldn't have been anything good." _

_ The prince lowered his gaze, not really wanting to explain. "It was just a nightmare. It happens." He shrugged, hugging his arms around himself. _

_ "Does it happen a lot?" Seamus pressed gently. Waiting patiently as Krel chewed on the inside of his cheek in thought, debating between redirecting the topic or being truthful for once. _

_ What reason did he have to answer honestly? Krel and Seamus weren't exactly friends. But neither were they enemies. Just... classmates, the two most intelligent classmates. That's all they were. An idle conversation, a polite hello in passing, but here in Seamus' kitchen at some late or early hour, it seemed to be a deeper topic, a vulnerable moment. They both were tired, so, so tired. _

_ "Yes." Krel answered finally, looking up at the other boy again. "Every time I close my eyes, it feels like another monster is ready to take my mind." _

_ "Sounds scary." _

_ "Terrifying actually." _

_ "How do you cope with what happened?" The question suggested he knew a few true details. It pricked at something in the back of Krel's head, something he tried to keep his focus off of since everything started to settle. Pain. Loss. Agony. He swallowed down the thickness in his throat. How did Krel cope? He didn't.  _

_ "It was easier with Aja around," he heard himself speak, his voice sounded hoarse to his own ears, his eyes were already burning. "But how does one cope with losing their parents to a madman? When we… we were so ready to g-give up our own lives for them and our people, we instead become orphans. Mere remnants of a great union and a great collapse. Just how does one go through that an- and be fine? Because I would love to know." Krel stared at Seamus as if it was the teen who was at fault for the uprising against his birthright, as if it was his fault that Krel's parents were killed before his eyes, as if he was the source of the nightmares that plagued him. _

_ Seamus didn't answer, just meeting Krel's accusatory stare calmly. When he did speak though, it wasn't anything the prince was expecting.  _

_ "Did you know that Hephaestus, the god of smithing, was thrown off of Mount Olympus by his mother, Hera, as a newborn?" The blonde paused briefly as if expecting Krel's input. "He's kind of the unluckiest god, thrown away because he was thought of as ugly, and then married to a goddess who prefers his brother." _

_ The Cantelopian blinked at him with bewilderment at the new subject. "Greek mythology," he managed, speaking slowly, earning an encouraging nod. "I'm afraid I have never read too deep in another culture's history. But how... I- I don't understand what it has to do with either of our sleeping problems." _

_ "It doesn't." The athletic teen answered simply. "But it's a nice diversion, you know? To think that someone else's entity could seem so human. Just something I think about when I try to sleep." _

_ A diversion, a distraction, to help him fall asleep? That was an interesting method. Not something Krel was familiar doing, distracting himself from a problem when he needed a solution. But a distraction as a solution? Maybe it was the desperation for sleep but it sounded like a genius idea. _

_ "That is… weird." Krel replied, aware that his confusion showed, the corner of his mouth turned upward however. "But a good weird." Seamus grinned at that, giving a small chuckle. _

_ "You may have to tell me more about Greek lore, seeing as I am not very well read on the subject." _

_ The blonde's brow rose to his hairline, his grin growing. "There is something in this world that the great Krel Tarron has no knowledge about?" Krel bit his lip to stop himself from laughing, his eyes rolling at the dramatic display. "It would be but an honor to teach you the fantastical tales of Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, and other gods and goddesses of old." Seamus chuckled again. "Maybe, then, you can also teach me about your gods, Seklos and Gaylen was it?" _

_ Krel nodded, pleased someone in Arcadia could say their names right. "That sounds like a fair trade."  _

_ They had talked a few hours more, Seamus explaining how the god lineage was mostly Zeus and Krel relaying the basic history of his country, before deciding to rejoin their classmates unconscious in the living room. _

It was the best sleep Krel had gotten in months, and he longed for it now so many years later as he stared at the living room ceiling from where he lay on the sofa. Dark rings under his eyes as evidence of another night's absent sleep, his senses tuning in and out of the news channel playing from the television. Old thoughts had returned to him, scolding him for becoming so dependent on one single person as comfort. They used to spend days on end at one or the other's house because it was better to sleep beside someone else than to sleep and suffer alone. Krel had gotten better, sort of, at sleeping by himself after Seamus left, usually having a documentary play in the background, or a quiet playlist, but even then sleep was fitful. It brought back an ache in his chest, and a wonder of when his body will just give out on him. Maybe he should have gone to the club with Douxie last night, should have done a performance to at least tire himself some.

"Mao." Krel turned his head to the large cat staring expectantly at him from the floor. Keeker, the 14 year old deep brown long-haired Siberian she-cat, gray-almost-silver hairs dotting her face was a birthday gift from Aja to keep him from being too lonely without her and Luug. The cat was a delight, sometimes.

"Mao." She chirped again, pale yellow colored eyes speaking her clear demand for breakfast. Krel rolled over, facing away from her, burying his face into a throw pillow, and curled up into a ball.

"Ten mekrons, Keeker, please." He pleaded to the creature. The cat gave a miffed huff but nothing more, or so Krel thought. Sharp fangs dug into his bare foot making the prince jump, falling off of the sofa with a pained yell.

"You little pest," Krel growled as he sat up, glaring at the feline that casually strolled over the cushions where he was previously laying. 

"Mao." She repeated, sniffing at his hair before giving him an affectionate lick.

Krel sighed, knowing it was pointless to start an argument with her. He loved her dearly despite what a pain she is, so he pulled himself up off of the floor and grabbed the small box from the coffee table before heading to the sliding door that led to the pool, Keeker following close at his heels. He opened the door and let her out first then stepped out himself, resisting to shiver at the feeling of the cold patio as he walked over to the metal bin placed a few feet from the door near a large food dish.

Keeker began calling out loudly to the far fence line, calling to which of her children were nearby, thankfully there were no neighbors close enough to complain about the noise. Krel never took her to get neutered so unsurprisingly, she "hooked up" with a stray tom and had four litters. It wasn't a major problem for him though, he could afford the supplies and check up appointments to keep them healthy and happy. It scared him how early in the kittens' lives she liked to teach them how to hunt though. When the kittens grew up enough to take care of themselves, all being roughly the same size as raccoons, they took to the woods beyond the fence. They could and would come back if they needed to.

Krel had recognized some that got taken in by families a few neighborhoods over, he'd have a good chuckle at seeing a large cat just like Keeker that he had helped care for walking on a harness like a dog with an equally amused owner.

When Krel had filled the food dish, Keeker's call was being answered, her now adult kits and a few local strays leaping up and over the fence, scurrying to the bowl. He stepped away to let them gather, opening the small box he brought out with him.

He can admit, as he stuck a cigarette between his lips and lit it, smoking was a gross habit, but it was also relaxing in it's own way. Francis, Frederick, Franklin… Krel didn't care enough to try remembering the guy's name, it was just another blind date that Mary sent him on. He didn't smoke indoors though, and absolutely not when he's visiting with his sister and nephew, Aja would never let him live peacefully if she found out.

An advantage to living alone, Krel thought to himself as he exhaled the noxious smog into the morning air. Taking another drag of his cigarette as he noticed one of the cats coming towards him, recognizing the thick brown and black coat from one of Keeker's litters. He kneeled down offering his hand.

"Morning Vinci," Krel greeted sweetly, watching tomcat sniff at his fingertips before pushing his head against them, a deep purr rumbling from the handsome creature. The prince scratched the cat's head and down his back as Vinci came close enough to rub against Krel's legs. "How are you?" He cooed, getting a chitter in response. "You must be hunting well, you got awfully big." Krel laughed as a fluffy tail hit his face.

He held his cigarette high out of reach when Vinci decided to climb into his lap, settling like a heavy weight and purring contentedly as Krel's free hand stroked his side, wary of the bear trap that was the cat's belly.

"I'm glad one of us is having a good morning." Krel chuckled to himself, taking a drag from the stick still between his index and middle fingers and blowing the smoke away from Vinci. He read somewhere that smoking was twice as bad for animals, hence why he doesn't smoke indoors.

From the open doorway, he could hear the countdown ticking of the charging closets for Ricky and Lucy, the AIs that acted as stand ins for his and Aja's parents when they moved here while their real parents were recovering from nearly fatal injuries. The androids' natural forms were sleek, white plastic that hid the intricate hardware beneath, but thanks to a tiny neurotransmitter, to everyone else, they looked like a charming couple with a 60s aesthetic.

He waited outside, petting one of his "grandkits" as Mary liked to joke and finishing off his cigarette, already hearing the annoying good morning song Lucy would obnoxiously sing when she bursts out of her closet and the morning's newspaper Ricky would demand for when he jumps out of his. It was lucky that he didn't have any neighbors close enough to complain about the noise.

The mass of cats began to peel away from the bowl, taking off to do their own thing, whatever that may be. Keeker trotted over to where Krel sat, sniffing over her own child for a moment before licking his face, her own relaxing purr mingling with his. Krel ground the butt of the cigarette into the pavement and tossed it into the mulch that surrounded his house. Then he picked the large tom up off his lap, earning an unhappy meow, and heaved himself onto his feet, cradling Vinci for a moment before putting him down. The cat chirped at him, climbing and stretching his way up Krel’s thigh, demanding more attention.

“You can come in if you wish.” Krel chuckled at Vinci, patting his head before detaching claws from his jeans, making his way back to the still open door. 

There was a sudden chime and as expected Lucy burst from her closet, ready for her morning performance, 7:30 sharp. The cats that still lingered around hoping for more food all jumped and darted off, Vinci included.

“Gooooooood morning, good morning! The sun is shining through!” Lucy sang merrily as Krel stepped through the door with Keeker at his side, watching as she swept up the blanket he was tangled in for part of the night and folded it. Ricky was already making his way to the front door in search of the newspaper. “Good morning,” Lucy continued, approaching Krel and Keeker, “good morning! To you and you-” she tapped the prince’s nose then patted the cat’s head before turning to her “husband’s” returning form, aiming a dainty finger at the other AI “-and you!” With her routine completed, Lucy wasted no time to start on breakfast preparations, Keeker taking off to follow her now.

“Morning, Krelito!” Ricky cheered as the human ventured past him at the counter, seated on one of the plush red stools.

“Morning.” Krel returned the greeting, turning down the hall, going into his bedroom. First stop was the dresser, stepping over the mess of cords and electronic parts that littered the room, maybe he should ask Lucy to tidy up in here; second stop, the shower. Plugging his phone into the stationary player on the bathroom counter and turning on one of his playlists, then turning to the shower, twisting the knobs to a comfortable temperature and letting it run, stripping off his yesterday clothes.

Looking at himself in the large mirror, looking over his thin but defined form, Krel leaned in close, rubbing his fingers gently over the bags under his eyes, inspecting them. Ugh, he looked as bad as Douxie after a double shift at Benoit’s. Sleep seemed to despise him unconditionally.

He pulled out the hair tie that kept his messy braid in place, combing his hair loose with his fingers, feeling the ends tickle his lower back. Ignoring the beads that rattled with the motion, ignoring the memories that he, for some irrational reason, kept close by. Should have boxed it and burned it with the rest, or try to at least, maybe he could have gotten away with it before Steve noticed. The bonfire was a bad idea in hindsight, and Steve didn’t  _ quite _ earn the broken nose Krel gave him. 

_ “Well I came home, like a stone,”  _ he hummed quietly to the song as he stepped into the shower, relaxing beneath the hot stream of water, lips mouthing the words but nothing more than the melody coming from him.  _ “And I fell heavy into your arms; these days of dust, which we’ve known, will blow away with this new sun.” _ Ducking his head under the stream, wetting his hair. He didn’t mean to let it grow so long, he just didn’t really bother to cut it more than letting Mary trim the split ends.

_ “You look good with long hair though.” _ She told him once when she convinced him to schedule an appointment at the salon where she works. This was after she had her long black hair chopped short.  _ “Not many guys can pull off the look.” _ Grabbing the shampoo and conditioner from the ledge indented into the shower wall and washing his hair. One pro of long hair, in Krel’s opinion, is all of the styles he can have it up in. Mary likes to do up his hair and stops by the electronics store before her first appointment to do so, and when Krel visits Aja and Failkov, or vice versa, it’s become a bonding thing. He finished washing up and turned off the water, grabbing his towel off the towel rack as he stepped out, and wrapping it around his waist. 

The time on his phone showed it was five minutes to eight, there was more than enough time before the usual morning phone call from his sister and nephew, it always brought a good feeling to his day though, listening to Failkov -often addressed as Neptune by Krel- go on about his lessons and offering his thoughts wherever Aja needed it -- even though she didn’t take them when she married her undeservingly entitled husband, Daruun. Just something Krel is a little more than bitter about. Praise to Seklos that Failkov took after his mother.

_ “I will wait, I will wait for you,” _ Krel sang as he dried his hair with a second towel, then wrapped the damp locks up in the towel to keep it out of his face, moving on to brush his teeth.  _ “Now I’ll be bold, as well as strong; Use my head alongside my heart,” _ the rest of the lyrics were mumbled when he started scrubbing the inside of his mouth but he continued weakly humming the melody.

He wrapped up his routine; dressed in a clean tank top with an alien on it, fresh cargo shorts, and socks, stepping out of the bathroom as he brushed out his hair, music following him from his back pocket. The smell of butter and syrup wafted throughout the house, Ricky could be heard gasping and making jokes about the local news from the kitchen, Lucy cackling enthusiastically as a response. 

"Another day, another dollar!" Ricky declared, giving Krel a joyous once over. "Any big projects today?" The coffee set by the AIs hand was for appearances even though it was no longer needed. Krel took the stool next to him.

"I'll find out when I get to the store." He answered. "Without a doubt there will be one or two from the Lake house," Krel added with a tired chuckle, "and five more when I get there."

The two androids gave over the top laughs.

"There is never a dull moment with that many kids." Lucy tossed a pancake in the air, catching it skillfully in the pan.

"Good thing we only had two." Ricky laughed, patting Krel on the shoulder.

The Cantelopian opened his mouth to correct the actual relationship but stopped himself, shaking his head. Ricky already knew, as the one self aware android between the two, it was nice that he actually thought of Krel and Aja as his own.

"Then don't you forget our grandson too." Lucy waved her spatula at him in warning. "We might not see them often but Failkov Tarron the Second is part of this family too." She flipped the pancake atop a small stack in a travel container and pressed a lid on it before pushing it towards the human. A regular gift for Toby and Darci when Krel would head to the cul de sac for the morning repairs.

"They are visiting next month, don't worry." Krel pulled his hair back into a ponytail then took the container into his arms. "Then we can have all the fun we want." Catching up with his sister, spoiling his nephew, and of course tormenting his brother-in-law.

"Can't wait." Ricky enthused. Lucy nodded her agreement. "I wonder if we'll see Zadra or Vex this time."

Probably Zadra, Krel thought to himself as he left the stool and walked to the door with the tubberware under his arm. Vex had finally retired last year, settling in comfortably with Toby's nana in their new home on one of the coast's outside of Akiridion. There was a grand banquet to celebrate his retirement, a way to honor one of their parents' oldest friends.

The doorbell of the store greeted him as did the sight of Stuart leaning on the service counter nursing a fresh cup of coffee. Krel was well aware he, himself, wasn’t a morning person but Stuart, his employer and friend, put a new meaning to the title.

“Good morning, your majesty.” The man forced fake cheer around the large yawn that left him almost immediately after the greeting.

“Good morning Stuart,” Krel replied, shaking his sweatshirt off of his shoulders and hanging it up by the door, “and we’ve been over this for the last nineteen years, you don’t need to keep addressing me as majesty.” 

“Ah, ah,” the stout man shook his head, one hand raised, shifting his robe around himself with the other. “My mother did not raise me to be disrespectful, especially to royalty.” 

“You are my boss.” Krel argued lightly, knowing that the Durian still won’t comply. He hasn’t for nearly two decades, why would he now? “And you haven’t lived in Cantelopia far longer than I.” 

“That may be so, but I am still loyal. You are still my prince.” Stuart took a decisive drink of his coffee, the argument was done. Again. “Dr. Lake called. DVD player and the blender so far.” He tapped the little sticky note on the countertop as Krel approached the counter, looking over the messing cursive. That family made him glad he didn’t have kids of his own, Failkov was enough, and Mary’s young daughter, Gwen, that she would sometimes ask Krel to watch when an appointment went long. It was kind of surprising how well he got along with the two - less surprising when one is his own family - and sometimes with other people’s kids, he didn’t particularly like children but that didn’t mean they deserved any cruelty.

“Another day to be glad that I am just an uncle and not a parent.” Krel said, sticking the note on to the memo board nailed to the wall.

“Hextech called too,” Stuart took another drink from his mug, looking a little more wary. “They left another message to consider selling the store.” The prince blinked, surprised for some reason. It wasn’t anything new that Hextech wanted to buy out Stuart’s Electronics, probably turn it into a store that sold Hextech tech instead of used tech or a warehouse to store spare parts, or something. The only reason Stuart hadn’t sold to them yet was because of Krel.

There wasn’t any official business or anything, but since the prime source of income was Stuart’s taco truck, the main reason the store was still even open was because of Krel’s financial support. Krel, in a way, owned Stuart’s Electronics in all but the legalities.

And it’s not like Stuart never brought up the idea of actually selling to Krel, he has many times. Krel just didn’t feel right taking the one place Stuart called home, there was literally a bedroom in the back where the man slept, despite the number of times he was assured that it would be fine.

“You aren’t actually considering their offer, right?” The prince asked. “You aren’t going to sell the store, right?” His eyes flicked back and forth between his boss’, a frown taking over his features.

The older man put a hand on the younger’s shoulder, patting it gently. “Now, now, Prince Krel, calm down,” he spoke gently. “You know I would never, not without your input.” Stuart sighed, taking back his hand, and stared into his mug for a moment.

“I’m not getting any younger, your majesty,” Stuart raised his head again, his expression serious as he looked at Krel. "I obviously can’t keep track of two different businesses any better than I have before, and I know there is no one else who loves this store as much as I do. Please, Krel, I’d like you to take over from me."

"I- I can't just do that! You live here!" Krel objected quickly. "This place is your home!"

"And it still can be." Stuart laughed. "Your majesty, just because you will have the deed doesn't mean I'm out on the street, not unless you say so." He gave the worried prince a crooked smile, a smile that said there wasn't a need for the worry. "If you own the store then you make the rules. Not like I ever enforced any before." He laughed again, picking up his mug and hobbling to the door, Krel turned to watch after him.

Hand on the doorknob, Stuart turned his head to look over his shoulder back at Krel. "Just think about it this time. Besides, I wouldn't mind taking a teensy vacay to visit Durio with less worries on my mind about this old store."

Krel chuckled a little as the man finally left, off to tour the taco truck around town, but it was short lived. Could he really take over the store? Should he? There was a time when Krel had thought the place would be better off under his direction, but then, there were quite a few things he thought that about, and he sometimes ended up wrong. He'd grown attached to the way it was built, despite the occasional sliver he gets when he wipes the shelves, the ugly rugs that overlap each other on the minimal floor space, the dirty blinds over the big bay window next to the door. It was simple, and despite the extravagant persona Krel sometimes has, he loved it's simplicity.

_ "If you own the store then you make the rules." _ Hmm… Were there really any rules in the first place? He wondered, then laughed stupidly to himself. Of course not, and it's not like they were needed anyway.

Krel came out of his head when the store phone rang, he reached behind him and picked up the hand held part off of it's base.

"Stuart's electronics," he greeted the person on the other end of the line.

"Oh good, Mr. Tarron," the tired voice of Dr. Lake's boyfriend - lover? - and Arcadia Oaks high's on-again-off-again history teacher, Walter Strickler sighed with relief. "I was getting worried you hadn't received our voicemail."

"No, no, I have it written down here." Krel assured, glancing back to where he stuck the sticky note. "Is there anything else you need to look at when I get there?"

"Ah, well the AC has been making an odd noise if you wouldn't be troubled to give it a glance."

"Of course." Krel nodded to himself, making the mental note. "I'll be there at the usual time."

"Thank you." Click.

Krel replaced the phone back on the base and sighed, renewed joy that he had no children. Stretching his arms upward, continuing the stretch to his back, then pushed himself around the counter to stand behind it much like the past many years since he was fifteen.

Okay, so perhaps he can see himself owning this quaint little store, it wouldn't get in the way of his DJ gig, not like it has before. He knows the clientele exceptionally well, and he's respected - if begrudgingly so - by Hextech, they wouldn't rebuke his claim over the store, and they won't bother him with selling the store. At least, Zoe won't, she knew Krel personally enough to know any call from her workplace would go ignored. Hmm…

It was fifteen minutes to nine when Mary strutted in with a travel cup in one hand and a clear plastic cup filled with a brown liquid and ice in the other. The regular routine.

"Tell me you brushed this time." She demanded, placing the two cups down on the countertop before grabbing Krel's shoulder and making him sit on the wooden stool he kept hidden behind the counter. He complied easily.

"I did." The prince answered, grabbing the clear cup. "But I have no control over how my helmet messes it up." He took a sip of the cold liquid.

"Oh well," Mary sighed dramatically, dropping her purse on the counter as well, pulling a hairbrush from it. "I'll make do." She carefully, but still painfully, took out the hair tie, separating the lock of hair that wore the beads to pull them out.

Krel watched as she placed each bead carefully on the counter until all seven were there in an ugly group of teal, yellow, and purple. It was kind of ridiculous that he kept them, it was just a cheap prize, and the paint was wearing away to reveal the ball of metal beneath. It's annoying too when it is his turn to visit his family, going through the metal detector at the airport and having to explain it's just the beads, plus they were kind of heavy on his neck sometimes. Purely sentimental value, that was what he summed it up to, it connected him to a time when he was struggling without his family, and somebody relatively new offered their hand. Somebody who also struggled and had created a way to deal with it, somebody who made him happy.

Of course, being left behind stung, but then being ignored like he was nothing was just infuriating. Then betrayal was the final straw. Everything had to go. Everything but the seven stupid beads he kept in his hair, just because of sentiment. Nobody questioned it, nor said anything about it. It was just a style choice now. And that is what everyone will call it despite the known underlying reason.

Krel grunted at one particular pull of the brush, making a face of discomfort. Not acknowledging the almost immediate apology as he took a drink of his iced coffee, still a bit stuck in his thoughts.

"How are you dealing?" Mary's voice was gentle, careful, her brushstrokes becoming smoother.

"Dealing with what?" He asked, feigning that he didn't know what she meant.

"With Seamus being back." She clarified. "Don't act like you didn't see him in the park yesterday too."

Mary knew him too well, unsurprising seeing as she glued herself to his side after it was clear the relationship between him and Seamus was over. It was impressive that she didn't attack him like she's promised so many times. He wondered quietly if he would even try stopping her.

Krel hummed his response, the memory of the blonde sitting in the park facing the electronics store bubbling to the front of his mind. He saw the other man before even stepping outside, through the window. Always so bad at discretion. Always so impulsive. Krel missed it, missed him. Foolish. 

Last night's conversation replaced the memory of Seamus in the park, how sorry and…  _ pathetic _ he looked. The taste of pity in his mouth was disgusting, thinking back on those pleading blue eyes that used to be so charming, used to make him pause long enough for strong arms to secure themselves around him and made him feel safe.

"Krel?" Mary's hands tipped his head sideways, gathering small locks of hair from around his ear between her fingers.

"What is there to deal with?" He replied finally, wishing he believed his own words. "It isn't like he's my first stalker." Krel's eyes moved to the left most side of his vision, catching the shift in Mary's stance, smirking a little when she gave a short laugh.

"One guy. How was I supposed to know he was that obsessive?" She snorted. "How much longer until the restraining order is over?"

"It has been over for almost two years, and you were the one that introduced us, you were supposed to know." Krel chuckled, glad he was able to divert the topic. "I haven't seen him since, which is nice."

"No kidding," he felt a sharp tug as nimble fingers tore through a hidden knot. "I know you get annoyed normally when I bring you on a date, but having a guy follow you, or us, on a date is another type of annoying."

The Cantelopian shrugged carelessly. "Eh, the fights were entertaining." Her fingers pinched the tiny braid against the side of his head, barely hearing the stretch of an elastic band.

"Sure," she answered with no conviction behind it, "but maybe I was tired of watching guys fight, or maybe it was because they weren't fighting over me." She quickly bound the braid and began a new one just above the first.

"You know," Mary began again after a moment, "we'd make a great couple. How come we never dated?"

Krel had to bite his tongue to stop himself from laughing at how offended she sounded.

"Because you assumed that I was purely attracted to the male sex, not that that is entirely off mark, but I believe another time when  _ I _ asked you the same question you told me you didn't like when a guy could manipulate you just the same as you can manipulate him." He explained, a small hiss at another tug on his hair. "And there also something about your parents not approving because I'm not of Asian descent."

"Huh." Mary said. "Yea, that sounds like me." She added.

"That's because it was you." They both just laughed, stopping only when Krel's phone went off.

"That's Aja," he declared, excitedly pulling the device from his pocket, seeing the expected ID of his sister, the image of Aja and Failkov lighting up his screen. He quickly pressed the green button, the screen changed to his nephew's blurry face as the boy tried to hold the camera steady.

"Hello Neptune," Krel greeted, grinning widely as the camera finally stabled.

"Hi Uncle Krel!" The seven year old returned, his face getting closer to the camera, squinting. "Is Aunty Mary there too?"

Mary's free hand instantly snatched the phone from Krel. "I'm here Fal, just fixing your uncle's hair." She awkwardly waved her other hand, pulling painfully on Krel's hair. He took the phone back from the woman, scowling at her.

"How are you today?" He continued to give Mary a side glare before focusing more pleasantly on his nephew.

"Tired, Mama let Grandpa Vex run the obstacle course today." Krel chuckled at the boy's pout. "He kept shouting glorious whenever I fell, or got hit. He's weird."

"That sounds like Varvatos," Krel replied, shaking his head as much as he could in pity. "Just wait until Zadra takes over your training." He chuckled even more at the fearful look he got. There is a reason for fear but at least Failkov won't have to yell several times for Zadra to stop.

"Where is your mother?" Failkov ducked his head sadly, brilliant blue eyes looking over the camera. Krel's brows furrowed together with worry.

"Mama and Papa are fighting again." The boy spoke quietly, almost a whisper. "Grandmother started it."

Of course. Of course Daruun's mother started it. Daruun was a spoiled dunce with an overzealous mother. He followed her every word, even to offer himself up to "help" push through a new healthcare code. Whatever displeased his mother, he would make a mess or mockery of, and Aja had to deal with it. Krel tried, oh he tried, to talk her out of it, telling her that if marriage was a must for the code to go through then she should choose a distant cousin from one of their parents' families, not this walking puppet, but no. Somehow the bastard got her cornered. Now, Daruun is the king, only in title, fortunately. No one respects him enough to take his orders seriously. Varvatos has voiced this many times.

Krel has been trying to convince her to divorce him, it's been harder since Failkov was born. Daruun's family uses the child as a leash. Krel should have been there in person to stop it all. Now, all he can do, until Aja finally agrees, is to torment Daruun as much as his family torments Aja.

"Oh really?" Krel asked the boy, forcing his voice to stay even. "What is it about this time? Was her tea too hot? Or are her clothes too clean?"

Failkov giggled softly, shaking his head. "No, she complained about the memorial spot for Grandpapa and Grandmama being in the way of her view of the lily pond."

Oh. Oh ho. That old hag dare whine about the burial site of the former king and queen? 

Krel tipped his head in the other direction at Mary's quiet request, plotting. He smiled despite the instantaneous angry coursing through him.

"Is that so?" He asked. "Do you think I could get a word in?"

The boy's eyes widened a bit, fearful. Sadly, he has been made witness to the family feuding around him. Krel hated involving his nephew but if he couldn't be there within the next sekton then this will have to do.

"I don't want to go in there." Failkov's whimper made the force in his smile drop. Krel wished that they were already in Arcadia, instead of waiting another week; wished he could hug his nephew and assure him that it will get better, as much as a bitter and prolonged lie that is; wished to comfort his sister, offer her the sanctuary she needs and deserves; wished to remind Daruun exactly where he stands in the royal family.

“Be brave, Neptune,” Krel urged gently. “Just give the phone to you mama, then you can go. After I am finished, we can continue talking.” He smiled again, more relaxed and not like he was hiding the rage he will unleash upon his sister’s in-laws.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An entire Krel chapter - brought to you by my unstable need to emotionally suffer! get yours now!  
> I didn't think I'd like tossing in fragments of history around, before, and after Krel and Seamus' relationship, but I do. Plus touching on one of Krel's previous relationships that Mary kind of pushed him into is fun.
> 
> AND introducing his nephew!!! Probably the one child on this miserable planet he would spoil shamelessly. Sadly, yes, I had Aja leave her sweet oaf for an asshole, I know. Despite being a sucker for Stelija.


	5. Chapter 5

_ “Hey, Krel,” Hank - aka ‘tight-jeans’ Hank Henderson approached the group seated around a table outside of Sam’s diner, waving a lazy hand to the other teenagers in greeting. The group consists of Steve, Mary, Darci, Shannon, Logan and Seamus. Out of the seven, Mary gave a somewhat more enthusiastic greeting. _

_ Krel looked up at the human interruption with a curious expression. They haven’t spoken much before. “Hello.” He greeted politely -- much to Seamus’ annoyance. They were in the middle of a conversation. What could be so important that it had to be cut short by a brain-dead halfwit from the other school? They already had one at the table. One was enough. _

_ “I was wondering,” the pest raised a hand to his head, combing back auburn hair with his fingers. He didn’t look near as nervous as he sounded, or as nervous as he should be. Seamus tried to fight off the beginnings of a scowl. “Would you want to, I don’t know, catch a movie or something? Just you and me?” _

_ Mary gasped with surprise then started coughing, spitting her drink across the table, startling everyone. Napkins were quickly passed around to soak up the spreading soda, the unfortunate girl red in the face as she tried catching her breath. Darci darted off to get more napkins when all of theirs were used up. Once everything calmed down again, Mary was staring incredulously at her on-again-off-again boyfriend, everyone else looking back and forth between the three, waiting to see what kind of drama would unfold. Logan occasionally glanced at Seamus to gauge his reaction. _

_ Krel, once he was sure Mary was okay, looked back to Hank. Eying him up and down with an almost disinterested expression. Keyword: almost. Seamus felt his hands ball up into fists atop the table, he didn’t want to think too hard on why. He moved to hide them under the table. _

_ He’s been a jerk, he knows, to others over the past few weeks, his own friends included, and even to Krel, dealing with this crush. He’s been called out for it too by everyone, more often it's Krel, and he continues to deny each instance despite the proof thrown in his face. Krel didn’t like it, and did not let it go easily, keeping tabs on every little thing and word Seamus would do or say to change the conversation. _

_ In other words, Krel knew, of course he knew, and he wasn’t liking how he, and their friends, were being treated in the blonde’s attempts to either confess his feelings or to simply shut up and back off. _

_ Seamus snapped back to attention when Krel gave a short hum, tensing when brown eyes flicked over in his direction. He found his cup very fascinating all of a sudden. _

_ “I don’t have any objection to the idea,” the Cantelopian mused as if he was talking to himself, but his eyes were on Seamus at his side. Seamus could feel them boring into the side of his head, and everyone else’s too. He kept his head lowered, avoiding to meet Krel’s gaze. “So, why not? It sounds… fun.” Finally Krel looked away from Seamus as he spoke. _

_ When someone who's been staring at you intensely for a period of time, you start holding your breath in suspense of what they are thinking or what they will do, and when they look away, you should be able to breathe easier. Right? Wrong. So, so very wrong. _

_ Before Hank could voice more ideas of the ‘date’ or even before Mary could jump up and cry her objections, there was a loud, sickening snap. Seamus felt one foot drop a level along with his stomach in realization. He had forgotten about Krel’s skateboard. Before Hank showed up he was just rolling it back and forth under the table with his foot. _

_ Krel seemed to have the same realization, immediately looking down. _

_ “What the kleb is wrong with you!” He demanded incredulously, picking up the two halves. Seamus basically jumped out of his seat as his mind panicked. _

_ “I’m so sorry! It was an accident.”  _

_ “Sorry isn’t going to fix Aja’s skateboard now is it?” Krel scoffed, turning on him, clutching the broken board close. He stood up from his seat, looking down at the halves in a heated debate. Lifting his eyes back up, glaring hotly at Seamus. “Whatever it is that is making you so destructive lately, _ fix it.”  _ Then he stormed away. Hank followed after him, again suggesting the movie. Read the room, idiot. _

_ “Dude,” Logan said, his head shaking. Seamus' shoulders slumped and his head dropped, a pitiful whine leaving his mouth. Yea, he knows. _

_ “Okay, okay,” Seamus spoke to his reflection in the rearview mirror of his car, trying to hype himself up, breathing in deeply. He was lucky enough to buy a new skateboard - technically, it’s a longboard, but whatever - before the store closed. Hopefully, he is still lucky enough that Krel forgives him. Ugh, why did he have such a destructive personality? Being human is too weak of an answer for the utter bullshittery he calls his life. “Just apologize and give him the board. Not that hard.” He insisted, and yet he wasn’t getting out of his car any sooner. Hitting his head gently on the steering wheel he wondered what he did in a past life to earn this; a shitty dad, developing shitty habits, and being a shitty friend. And to think, just last year, Steve was worse than him and worse off, now Steve is trying to be better and is getting better. Was Seamus not trying hard enough? Is that it? _

_ Not that sulking is going to help the current situation, he shook away the thoughts. He needed to focus right now. _

_ Grabbing the skateboard from the passenger seat and climbing out of the car, he took a breath. Give him the board and apologize, simple. May the gods, and Krel, decide his fate. _

_ Seamus walked up the path to the house, the blinds were drawn over the windows so he couldn't see if anyone was home, and there wasn't any music from the parking space that Krel made into his garage so clearly he wasn't outside, but his bike was still parked under the overhang. Pressing the doorbell, a sing-song voice called out in response followed with a deeper muffled voice laughing. _

_ Mrs. Tarron- ah, Blank- Mrs. Blank, one of Krel's caretakers, opened the door, greeting Seamus with a manic but curious smile. _

_ "Seamus! So good to see you again." She giggled cheerfully, reaching out to give the teen a rather firm pinch on his cheek. Her grip was as strong as ever. _

_ "H-hi Mrs. Blank," he returned the greeting, trying not to wince at the ache left to his face. "Is Krel home? I kinda broke his skateboard earlier and wanted to properly apologize." He lifted the new board in his hands as if to show it off. _

_ "Oh, how sweet," the woman chirped before pouting, "unfortunately, he hasn't been home yet. We thought he was still out with you and your friends."  _

_ So he wasn't home yet. Okay, then, maybe he should - Wait- did that mean Krel actually went on a date with Hank! Seriously?! He could do so much better! Not that Seamus would consider himself better, at the moment. But in comparison to Hank? There are many better choices, so many. But, what if it actually worked out somehow? What if they actually started dating? Mary would lose her mind. Krel and Hank. Steve and Logan would never let him live it down. Hank and Krel. And everything Krel and Seamus used to do would be over; movie nights, random visits IHop at 3 in the morning, nonsensical arguments over snack choices… all gone and done because he couldn't ask Krel out himself. Because he was too cowardly to look Krel in the eye and verbally admit that he cherished Krel deeply and wanted to continue doing so in a romantic relationship. _

_ "Oh! Speak of the devil.” Mrs. Blank cackled before waving to someone behind Seamus. _

_ Feeling every muscle in his body tense up, he turned around to see Krel storming up the path, even more angry than earlier. Seamus kept a mental tab on the skateboard pieces the Cantelopian boy was still carrying, in case they ended up thrown at him in the short distance. _

_ “H-hey-” Seamus quickly cleared his throat, “hey Krel.” The neck of his shirt was promptly grabbed and tangled between Krel’s first two fingers and knuckles, and he was dragged down to Krel’s height, face to face with the furious prince and many violent promises. _

_ “Utter a single consonant before I am finished and I will drag you through the streets by a rope attached to my bike.” Krel snarled, sending chills down Seamus’ spine.His next four words were somehow worse. “We need to talk.” Then he proceeded to drag him into the house, dismissing Mr. and Mrs. Blank to their charging closets. _

_ Seamus was forcefully sat on the sofa, new skateboard on his lap and the broken pieces of the old one by his feet. Krel went off, pacing around the coffee table and ranting about how awful his date with Hank was. Perfect. Apparently despite the movie being Hank’s idea, Krel ended up buying the tickets to a movie he wasn't interested in, Hank bought the snacks but didn’t share, and then he talked throughout the entire movie - even worse, he talked about  _ himself _ only. Words such as arrogant, self-absorbed, narcissistic, conceited, and egomaniac were used in abundance along with a string of words that weren’t in english that Seamus assumed were swears. He had to focus on keeping his expressions in check so it wasn’t obvious that he was enjoying Krel basically calling Hank worthless boyfriend material and a concerning type of Mary’s choice. When Krel finished his rant, he sat on the coffee table in front of Seamus with his head in his hands, his shoulders rose and fell as he tried to catch his breath. That was a lot of rage for a rather small person. _

_ Seamus wondered if it was safe for him to speak now, but then again, it was safer to stay quiet. Not in his case particularly but usually it is. _

_ “And that,” Krel began, sounding a little breathless still. “Will the end of my problems.” He lifted his head and looked at Seamus, an unreadable expression on his face. “Now, onto the beginning of my problems. Any suggestions Seamus?” His eyes narrowed as if daring Seamus to even try diverting the topic. _

_ Great, great, just wonderful. He’s cornered, trapped by piercing eyes and a - probably - not-so empty threat. He just wanted to apologise for breaking the skateboard, and for being a jerk. He wasn’t prepared for confrontation. He should have waited. Come on, Johnson, think!  _

_ “Well?” Krel prodded. _

_ “Look, I- I just wanted to apologise for breaking your skateboard,” Seamus held up the board that was still in his lap. When Krel’s mood showed no sign of improving, he laid the board down again, sighing. Clearly Krel wasn’t letting it go this time, it was an eventuality, Seamus knew, but he hoped that it would have been farther in the future for something similar to a teen drama or a soap opera like prom or some other big social event, not from an in the moment shock.  _

_ “And for being a buttsnack the past couple weeks.” He bowed his head shamefully. _

_ “Care to explain why?” Krel pushed. _

Not really, _ Seamus answered in his head but didn’t dare say it out loud. Apparently his reluctance showed. Krel took the new skateboard from him, looking it over carefully, stroking his hand over the undecorated deck. _

_ “This is a nice gift, Seamus.” He said calmly before turning a more frustrated gaze back to Seamus. “But you can’t keep doing this every time you mess up.” He set the board on the floor, rolling it under the coffee table so it was out of the way. _

_ “I know.” Seamus muttered, keeping his head down. “I just didn’t know what else I could do.” _

_ “So telling the truth never crossed your mind?” Krel’s arms crossed over his chest, a single brow arching. Seamus met the look with a look of his own, they both knew what he meant. Krel rolled his eyes. _

_ “Did you want me to just continue on like you weren’t making a soolian of yourself?” He asked. “That you weren’t scaring our peers and friends? Or how about you nearly punched six of Douxie’s friends just because I was offered a pass to one of their shows?” _

_ “One,” Seamus corrected, “I was only going to punch one, maybe two, and he was asking for it.” _

_ “Is that supposed to make it better?” _

_ Seamus slumped down in his seat, not caring at the moment how childish he looked, and Krel’s gaze turned skyward. It’s not like he was lying, the guy was using cheap derogatory slang and everyone kept encouraging him with uncomfortable laughter. He should have punched him. The fact that he was friends with Douxie was a surprise.  _

_ He looked up again when he heard Krel sigh. Okay, now he felt worse, and he was acting worse, again. Come on, Johnson, get it together. _

_ “Krel, I’m sorry-” _

_ “It is getting more and more difficult to take your apologies seriously.” Krel had the bridge of his nose pinched between his thumb and forefinger. “It truly is, Seamus.” _

_ “But I am being serious, Krel,” Seamus sat up on the sofa and scooted forward so he was on the edge of the cushion, their knees almost touching. “I don’t know what else you want me to say.” _

_ “Stop lying!” Krel snapped, rising from the table. “And stop mistaking me for a fool.” _

_ “I’m not-” _

_ “You stopped talking to me for two days because Logan asked me for help preparing for his physics test!” _

_ Seamus’ jaw clamped shut, he could try to muster an excuse but there was almost a full month’s worth of evidence stacked against him and Krel knew how to wield it. As previously stated, he was cornered.  _

_ “Well, what do you want me to say?” He demanded. “That I didn’t know what I was thinking when I kissed you? And that I still don’t? Or how about I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since?” He could feel the heat spreading over his face as he spoke. He didn’t want to say these words. The last time he said something similar, and it led to disaster. “Maybe that I’d like to kiss you again? Is that what you want to hear?” _

_ “So long as it’s the truth.” Krel replied calmly. Did- Did he complexion just get darker? _

_ “It is.” Seamus sighed, bowing his head, scratching his fingers through his hair. “I just… I’ve been back and forth so many times but I just couldn’t say… It’s terrifying, I- I can’t-” Fuck it, he should have left the skateboard with Mrs. Blank and went home, and wait for a novel length text or a four hour phone call lecturing about what a dick he is and what a dick Hank is. What was he doing here even? What made him think that Krel even thought of him as an option? The fact that he wasn’t immediately pushed away? It could have been anyone. Seamus wasn’t anyone special to begin with, so what if he and Krel got along now. He was an exceptional dick before anyway. _

_ And now he couldn’t bring himself to look anywhere remotely near Krel, even when he lowered to the floor taking up Seamus’ entire field of view. Why was it so warm all of a sudden? _

_ “Feeling better?” Krel didn’t sound angry now, he didn’t seem angry either, actually he seemed pretty satisfied with himself. Dammit. _

_ “You make this a struggle.” Seamus sat up, pushing himself back into the sofa, trying to get as much space between them as possible. He could only imagine how red his face was. _

_ Krel didn’t bother hiding the smirk that tugged at his mouth. “Is that what you really think?” _

_ “No.” _

_ His laugh was warm and relaxing, a sign that they weren’t fighting anymore, it was an incredible relief. Krel looked better when he smiled, not that Seamus would ever willingly admit that out loud. He was such an idiot, making a big deal out of asking Krel out, he started laughing too. It was nice, this was nice. _

_ “So,” Krel said after he was done laughing, looking up at Seamus with an idea in mind that the blonde couldn’t quite figure out. _

_ “So.” He replied back. _

_ "Is there anything else you want to say?" _

_ What? Oh.  _ Oh. _ Was… was Krel actually inviting Seamus to ask him out? Even after what an absolute jackass he's been? Well, Krel was offering up the initiative, it would be a waste if Seamus didn't say something. _

_ Next thing Seamus was aware of was Krel climbing into his lap, straddling him, hovering close enough so that, again, he took up Seamus' vision as he got comfortable. He could smell the motor oil and scorched metal that always seemed to follow wherever Krel went. Suddenly he felt somehow very warm and very cold at the same time as he sunk as much as he could into the sofa, trying to regain some of the lost space, but his hands still took spots around Krel's back so the prince wouldn't fall. And it didn't help that Krel followed him. Seamus swallowed thickly as he grabbed for what remained of his wits. _

_ "You can't run away this time." _

_ Never mind, wits were gone. He had nothing left but the hive of wasps in his stomach and this new side of Krel he's never seen before. Not that he was complaining. Could Seamus even find something about Krel that deserved a complaint? An interesting question. _

_ Beautiful brown eyes glittered with amusement as Seamus mentally fell apart under them, the smirk not far below showed that he knew just that fact. Oh, gods, where did Krel learn this tactic? _

_ "W-would you wanna go out- kiss me- I mean, date me - out with me?" Yea, gunna blame his brain short circuiting for that one. Fucking idiot. "Please?" Really? Strike him now, please. _

_ Krel's smirk broadened into a grin, revealing sharp and pearly teeth, looking even more pleased with himself, his hands found perches on Seamus' shoulders as if that was normal, as if they were always supposed to be there. The grin softened. _

_ "Sounds fun." He said after a nerve wracking moment. Krel's right hand travelled up Seamus' shoulder to his neck then to his cheek, he barely registered how quickly he leaned into the touch. Krel swayed closer until their foreheads touched, then their noses, then finally their lips. It started with a peck, a test into new territory, and probably uncertainty considering a lacking in expertise. _

_ That thought alone sent a thrill through Seamus' stomach, one of his hands creeping up Krel's spine, counting each vertebrae. He kissed back, keeping the action chaste. Being Krel's first, he didn't want to scare him off - if Steve and Aja haven't already with how they… Seamus didn't even know what to call it, but the point was he wanted Krel's first to be better than his own. Not messy, or slobbery, or probably involving alcohol. _

_ Krel pulled back first after what felt too long and somehow not long enough at the same time, his eyes lidded, and a noticeable flush to his face. There was still that proud touch to his grin that Seamus very much wanted to wipe off, but, maybe he could just let Krel have this one. It did sound like there would be plenty more where that came from after all, and he could feel the goofy smile on his own face so that was pretty much his sign of submission. _

_ There was another, and another, again and again. Cute little pecks that developed into lingering kisses as Krel got more confident with what he was doing, and Seamus definitely wasn't about to complain. Tan arms wound around his neck, thin, calloused fingers tangled themselves in his hair as he tightened his own grip around the boy in his lap, pulling him close. If this was a dream, Seamus will murder whoever wakes him up. _

_ "We still… need to… talk-" Krel tried speaking between kisses. Emphasis on tried, Seamus was very reluctant to stop the progressing make out they had going on. Krel had to firmly push him back against the sofa cushions to get the point across that he wanted to speak. It didn't stop the frustrated whine from Seamus. _

_ Krel chuckled at him, pressing one final kiss against his mouth before sitting up on Seamus' lap. _

_ "As much as I appreciate your enthusiasm," he began, smoothing out his shirt that Seamus may or may not have rumpled. "But I would like to discuss rules." _

_ "Rules?" Seamus didn't mean to sound as offended as he did. He was more surprised by the idea than anything. He was aware there were rules to the whole dating scene, everyone was, what was appropriate and what wasn't, but, rules to what was sounding like an actual relationship? This was new. _

_ "Or, I suppose, boundaries would be the better word." Krel was quick to fix the phrase, even though he didn't appear very confident as he said it. Boundaries. Was that really a better word? _

_ "Oookay," Seamus shifted so he sat a little straighter, keeping one hand on Krel so he didn't accidentally push him off of the sofa. "What did you have in mind?" He'd probably do whatever Krel asked at this point, at least to the best of his ability, which lately is in question. And his response seemed to make Krel relax. Maybe the idea that Seamus was open to discuss a topic that reality tv showed to be pretty offensive despite it actually being a really good idea relieved some stress. _

_ "Well, firstly is," he sucked in his lower lip as he thought out his next words, "you don't… own me." _

_ It felt like someone just pulled a plug in his head, not in the way of someone telling you shocking news kind of way where you sit there staring blankly at a wall trying to absorb the information and just can't, but in the way of someone summing up your behavior in just a few words and somehow physically smacking you in the face with them. Yea, Seamus knew he had possessive tendencies, it was a mild problem with his last relationship. But he didn't realize that it had gotten that bad. _

_ "And just the same, I don't own you," again Krel was quick to rephrase, like he was worried Seamus would get angry. "So, behaviors such as getting angry at each other for simply talking to someone else, or not agreeing on certain activities…" _

_ "No, no, I understand," Seamus nodded his head, shifting again, running his hands up and down Krel's sides. "We are two individual people, I get it. No controlling habits." _

_ Krel smiled looking a little more relieved. "Thank you. I was worried you wouldn't like this idea." _

_ "It's a little insulting, yea," Seamus shrugged, spotting one of Krel's many mysterious scars, thin, almost unnoticeable in the right light, it followed the curve of Krel's neck then plummeted beneath the collar of his shirt. Seamus vaguely wondered if he'd get the opportunity to count the rest. "But you're just calling me out for the shit I do, like usual." He snickered, hoping that it didn't sound forced. Grinning at the playful scowl on Krel's face. _

_ "Well if you stopped acting like a petulant child," Krel pinched Seamus' left shoulder, making him flinch, then poked his ribs, "I wouldn't have to point out bad manners." He tried for the blonde's stomach but his hands were seized by a larger pair and used to pull him close, face to face with the boy. _

_ "How else was I supposed to get your attention?" Seamus asked, hands gliding up Krel's arms to retake their places around his back. Krel used the newfound freedom to squish Seamus' face between his hands. _

_ "You already had my attention, you just didn't know what to do with it." And again Seamus gets called out. They both only laughed because they knew. _

_ "Didn't you ever get… jealous?" His pause wasn't because he was embarrassed, but because he was worried that between the two of them, Krel had the decisive thinking to know what he wants and how to get it, and he was very capable of changing his mind. It created knots of anxiety in his stomach.  _

_ To his surprise, Krel didn't look him in the eye this time as he answered. Rubbing the fabric of Seamus' shirt between his fingers. _

_ "I can neither confirm nor deny any actions taken against any persons that had the nerve to admit some form of attraction to you or verbally plan to ask you out." There was a deeper flush of color under his eyes when he finally made eye contact again. _

_ Wha… wait- wait, WHAT? The great and proud Krel Tarron had acted out of jealousy? And over Seamus, over-reactive and dense Seamus. He could hardly believe his ears, but he knew he was grinning madly at the news. _

_ Well, that would explain the sudden rise in hacked electronics. Should have figured that one out sooner. _

_ "Stop with your grinning." He felt hands press over said grin that had spread over his face, Krel had his cheeks puffed as he pouted. He couldn't help it. Who wouldn't be happy in his situation? His crush had a crush on him and he was so stupidly blind to see the signs. _

_ "Okay, okay," Seamus' voice was muffled as he laughed into Krel's palms, he was still smirking when they pulled away and rested on his shoulders. "So, are there any other rules, or boundaries?" _

_ Krel hummed thoughtfully for a moment, staring down at the black fabric of Seamus' shirt, rubbing it between his fingers again. _

_ "If there is a problem,  _ talk. _ " Again calling Seamus out. "No more giving cold shoulders, silent treatments, or redirection, or by Gaylen's name I  _ will _ hurt you." Krel held Seamus' gaze stubbornly, a promise much similar to the one he made not long ago in his eyes. Seamus really had no other option but to agree. _

_ "I… will work on that." He bowed his head a little shamefully, rising again only when Krel lifted his chin with a single finger. "Anything else?" _

_ "Movie night on every other Friday."  _

_ That brought back a smile to Seamus' lips, he chuckled a little. That was actually something they've done since they started hanging out, taking turns on hosting and picking out genres, on a rare occasion Steve, Logan, or one of their other friends would be interested enough to tag along but it's usually just them two. Always just them. _

_ "Deal." _

_ Krel grinned, satisfied with his answers. He started leaning forward- _

Seamus jumped as his head suddenly dropped out of his hand where it had sat just seconds ago, quickly taking in his surroundings.

He was at Sam's, the quiet conversation of elderly, early morning patrons surrounded him with the clinking of cutlery and the occasional loud slurp of coffee, the smell of eggs, bacon, and coffee wafted from the kitchen. Erasing the phantom traces of motor oil and scorched metal. His laptop had long since faded to black. How long did he doze? Why was he even here so early?

A drink from his cold coffee answered how long, grimacing at the feeling the coffee grounds crunch between his teeth. As for why he was here, there was a foggy recollection of an awkward walk-in with both Uncle Jo's and his mom's… bed buddies? He won't go so far to say as lovers but one of them was definitely a one night stand, considering she looked barely older than Seamus. It was just weird enough that he decided to get out of the house for a few hours, drive around until Sam's opened and, once again, find himself neck deep in listings that were out of his budget or not in the location he'd like. He'd take a studio apartment near the college at this point. Maybe getting a job first would be easier, what he has left from his severance pay and what he's kept in savings won't last forever, and he has a storage garage to pay for.

He pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes with a muffled groan, hoping the ache would clear some of the grogginess that lingered. When was the last time he slept more than three hours? 

"Can I top you off, handsome?" Seamus looked up. He knew the voice, he couldn't quite place who it belonged to though.

Brown hair chopped in a "trendy" style held in place with thick amounts of hair gel, hazel eyes, one brow arched with interest, a smile that wasn't quite pleasant but was definitely thinly veiled cockiness, he had a lean build like he was a runner or maybe a swimmer. But overall, Seamus remembered who he was now.

"Jared?" Seamus looked him over again in disbelief. He looked a lot different since graduation - although Jared was trying out some weird punk phase at that time, it's a lot to unpack. Now, he seemed more like he used to be, when Seamus actually dated him.

"Don't sound so surprised." He laughed, planting a hand on his hip, coffee pot still held in the other as the offer still stood. "Did you miss me?"

Barely. Not really.

Seamus pushed his mug forward to accept the refill. "Like your other exes, boyfriends, and other fuck buddies do? You must be losing your mind." He would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy the scowl that formed on Jared's face. “You do tend to overestimate your appeal.”

"Still sore that I had my hands in other cookie jars?" He sat down across from Seamus, uninvited, keep in mind. Arms crossing over his chest, a sardonic smile reversing the downward curl of his mouth. "It’s okay if you were jealous? That does sound typical of you, Seamie." Yuck.

Seamus scoffed, eyes rolling as he sat back in his side of the booth. Could this finally be the time to rip into Jared? It would make great stress relief. Maybe at least drive him off.

"Jealous of what?" He asked haughtily. "The three guys you were blowing behind my back? Honestly, it makes me glad you weren't into kissing." Reminiscent disgust washed over him as he refrained from gagging. "Also, seriously, that was, and still is, the worst pet name."

Smirking only at the way Jared's cockiness diminished and was replaced with flustered rage, observing the way his right eye twitched and how his hands gripped at his biceps in restraint. The restraint was new, normally he would cause a scene with no hesitation - basically he was all Mary talked herself up to be.

"You never complained before." He growled through clenched teeth.

"No, I was being a good boyfriend. Unlike someone else." Seamus shot back before he sipped his now lukewarm coffee, forcing himself not to cringe at the feel of coffee grounds on his tongue.

"And yet here you are. Sad and single. Being good really has done you a lot, hasn't it?"

"Single, sure. Sad? Not at the moment," Seamus quipped. He'll be damned before he let this talking trash get the last word. He may feel shitty and, more than likely, look just as shitty, but he is still better off alone than with Jared. "But you are also here, instead of in your newest sugar daddy's lap."

Fists hit the table as Jared stood up, fury in his eyes. Ah, there he is.

"You think I would stoop so low?" He demanded.

"Yes, actually." Seamus’ head cocked sideways as he took another drink, sliding his finger across the mousepad of his laptop, watching the screen light up, pretending he didn't see Jared storm away leaving the half full coffee pot on the table. He picked up the pot and filled his mug of the two missing drinks, feeling more than a little smug. It's been a while since he had a good start to his morning.

Spending the next few minutes skimming over the listings, debating the job idea again, he sighed tiredly resigning to nothing new. His phone went off, the dorky children's show theme song ringtone told him it was Steve before he even looked at the caller ID. He pressed the green button.

"Resting place of Seamus Johnson, leave a message."

Steve groaned on the other end. "Are you still moping?"

"Would you like the sweet lie or a bitter truth?" Seamus replied, clicking the reload screen button.

"It's rude to answer a question with another question. You know that?"

"Since when did you care about what's rude or not?" Let's push everyone's buttons today and see where it goes.

"Seamus." Steve warned.

He sighed, the game ended too soon, or maybe he was still a bit worked up from Jared. That part of history really was a sore spot. "Alright, alright. What's up?" He leaned back in his seat, sighing as his back popped at the stretch. Seamus really needs to be careful about his back posture.

“I was wondering if you can fit an afternoon jog into your oh so busy schedule.” Seamus could hear the eyeroll in Steve’s voice. “With your best bro, of course.” 

Seamus’ eyes wandered down the refreshed listings page, eyeing a location with consideration. “Could you remind me who that is again?” He asked lightly, smirking the slightest at the offended gasp that came from his phone.

“Seamus Killian Johnson,” he sounded out each part of Seamus’ name with special emphasis, “did- did you replace me? Your best friend? And after I gave you my Milky Ways all throughout kindergarten!” Steve cried dramatically on the other end. Seamus’ eyes rolled. How does Eli put up with him, he wondered. “The Johnson Space Center has changed you, man. You’ve changed!”

There was a yell in the background that almost sounded like Eli telling Steve to quiet down. Seamus chuckled to himself as he listened to his friend apologize. It was still kind of weird how Steve changed during and after highschool, almost immediately went off to a distant college on scholarship to study sports medicine, four years later he comes back with a bachelor's degree in athletic training instead. He seemed happy at least, not sure when or where he got the dramatic flare though.

“Okay, but seriously, dude,” Seamus’ focus returned at the sound of Steve’s voice. “Wanna go jog like old times?”

Maybe it was the fact that he had been basically glued to his computer screen for the past few days or the increasing desire for something nostalgic that he wasn’t getting anywhere else, but a jog sounded nice. Getting some fresh air, getting away from the eyeball burning brightness of the screen, and, in general, getting off his ass sounded nice.

“Yea,” He answered after a moment, a deep sigh. “Yea, a jog sounds great actually.” He turned to look out the restaurant window while Steve went off, cheerfully rambling about the old routes they used to jog for game season. It was late enough in the morning that people were out walking, it was getting close to lunch rush. From his seat, Seamus could see a worker in the boutique across the street was changing the clothes on the window mannequins. Enrique and Ricky, Claire’s brothers, were walking with some of Jim’s adoptive siblings, too many names to remember right off hand. They all grew up quick.

“So, you wanna meet up at the park?” Steve’s voice grabbed his attention again. Man, Seamus really needs to stop zoning out, or get some actual sleep, maybe both. “I’m pretty sure Eli wants the house to himself right about now. He’s got a big paper due for work.”

Seamus rubbed at the inner corner of his eye, clenching his jaw to stop a yawn. "Eh, I might need an hour, Steve." He spoke when the yawn was no more. "I'm at Sam's, and I still need to shave and shower."

"What're you doing at Sam's?" Steve asked, his bewilderment rang clear "Or in public without at least showering in general?" 

"It was a weird morning." He answered vaguely. A familiar form passed in front of his window making him look over again. Long, brown hair shifted freely from the braided restraints he last saw, seven beads clung to individual locks of the hair, swaying more wildly than than the rest, chipped paint that reminded Seamus of the other seven laying on his desktop back at home, the same blue sweatshirt, and, from what he could see, another pair of cargo shorts. Krel. He was carrying something close to his chest, a tuft of black hair peeked over his shoulder. Did Krel get a new cat? Oh, geez, did Keeker pass?

"Seamus?" Steve's voice penetrated the train of thought. "Seeeeamuuuuss…… Did you fall asleep, dude?"

"No, no," Seamus replied quickly, leaning closer to the window, trying to get a better look at what Krel carried. "I'm here, I'm awake." Krel turned at the diner's door and finally he could see. Steve's muttering in his ear was drowned out by the ringing of his shock. A child. A little girl, maybe three or four years old with light olive skin and inky black pigtails held comfortably and securely in Krel's arms - arm, singular, since Krel was using the one arm not supporting the kid's weight to  _ open the diner's door, oh shit! _

"Quick question," Seamus interrupted Steve's mutterings in a hushed tone. "Did Krel have any kids while I was gone?"

"Dude, what? No." Steve scoffed like it was a stupid question. But his answer was a relief. Now, time to split. "But he sometimes baby-"

"I gotta go," Seamus cut him off again, scrambling to gather up his stuff, "I'll meet you at the park in an hour, okay?"

"Okay? You-" Click. Seamus tapped the end call button, slamming his laptop shut harder than he meant. Wrapping up the charging cord in record time, Seamus slid out of the booth, tossing a couple bills on to the table as he tucked his laptop under his arm. He power walked toward the entrance, keeping his head down to look like he was paying attention to something on his phone.

As his luck would have it, or basically the universe's love for fucking him over, he almost collided into them. Maybe staying seated would have attracted less attention.

Krel's eyes widened at Seamus' haggard appearance, his free arm rising up protectively around the little girl who eyed him curiously. He stepped back to give Seamus more space to get through. Seamus ducks his head lower in embarrassment and quickened his pace out of the diner.

Krel watched as what seemed to be a disastrous remnant of his ex-boyfriend exited the diner in shame. Lips pressed into a thin line as he pushed away a thought of concern.

"Meshy," commented the toddler in his arms. He turned to her with a nod of agreement.

"Very good, Gwen," he praised, patting her head, "he was messy." Casting half a glance back at the door as he approached the counter and set Gwen down carefully on one of the plush red stools.

He waved down one of the servers, or more rather trying to, he stomped past.

"I called in an order for three, under Tarron." Krel called after the server.

"Get bent, Tarron!" He shouted back, surprising Krel and startling the other patrons before he charged into the kitchen. Was that Jared? Haven't seen him in a few months, Krel thought to himself, an unimpressed brow rose over his eye.

Shannon stepped out of the kitchen carrying three takeout boxes, a scowl directed back in the direction she came from.

"Is it too early in the day to file a complaint?" Krel asked as she approached the counter, rubbing circles on Gwen's back as she pouted. She wanted to climb on the counters but she knows she can't, and Krel’s free arm kept her from doing so. 

"Please do," Shannon encouraged. "I'm not sure if we're more understaffed with or without him." She set the boxes on the countertop, and fixed her glasses back up her nose. "You might even be the one to get him fired." Giggling when Gwen tried getting up on the stool to grab the boxes. "Careful, sweetie. We don't want you falling again." Shannon pushed the boxes towards her, tiny and uncoordinated hands grabbed the styrofoam containers resulting in a victorious cheer.

"Put it on your tab?" Shannon glanced back to Krel.

"Yes, I'm a bit behind schedule today." He answered, hovering his hands around the toddler's sides anxiously. Gwen had the falling habits of a newborn deer. She stumbles over everything and nothing, and furniture just makes it even more dangerous.

"I have to bring Gwen to her playdate at Toby and Darci's, then fix a few things at the Lake-Strickler house, pick up Gwen again and do some grocery shopping, drop her off with her mother then go home." Krel explained already feeling the achy tiredness that will come in the evening. He held back a tired sigh. “And I need to make preparations for Aja and Neptune too.”

"Busy as always." Shannon commented, scribbling something on Krel's order ticket.

"I try to be."

“You are so rude, you know that?” Was the first thing Steve greeted him with when Seamus arrived at the park, showered and clean shaven. “What happened? Why did you ask if Krel had a- wait, no nevermind.” Steve shook his head, one hand waved off his own question as the other pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Yea, sorry for hanging up on you,” Seamus apologized. He rubbed a hand over his neck. “Krel walked into the diner and I just needed to get out of there.”

“I’m guessing he had Gwen with him.”

“Who?” 

Steve chuckled at him. “Gwen Lin-Wang? Three years old, only ever has pigtails and wears pink? She is Mary’s daughter. Krel watches her all the time, he’s basically the closest she has to a dad.”

Seamus blinked at his friend, his mind was buzzing with questions. Mary has a daughter? Mary stuck with a guy long enough to have his kid? Krel helps take care of her? Krel, in general, willingly cares for and helps in caring for a living child? Basically a parental figure? When did that happen?

“I always thought Krel didn’t like kids.” Seamus said quietly. He jogged to catch up with Steve, who had already started without him. “I mean, remember when Coach made the entire class redo the parenting assignment in junior year? We got fake babies instead of flour sacks?”

“Hard to forget,” Steve laughed. “I got nicknamed ‘The Widow’ the entire week because Eli was studying abroad and no one sat next to me. Didn’t your dad kick you out for that week because he wasn’t dealing with the baby assignment again?”

“Yea,” Seamus sighed. Instead of being alone that year, Krel was his partner, at least he didn’t nearly fail the project again. “Krel questioned dad’s intent to make me fail again and I ended up staying with him. He complained the entire week because the stupid doll liked him better.” They both laughed at the memory, it was probably somewhere deep in Mary’s social media posts.

“Y’know,” Steve began, turning up a path that led away from the sidewalk. Seamus puffed after him. It’s been awhile since he’s worked out like this, he’s feeling a little out of shape. “It might have changed when Aja had Failkov.”

Krel did mention Aja has a son now, Seamus thought to himself. “Really?”

“Yea,” Steve laughed again. It sounded more hollow this time. “She came to visit a few years ago and announced that she was pregnant. Krel insisted that she stayed in Arcadia until she had the baby, and, well, she did. He was in the room with her when she went into labor.”

“What about her husband?” Seamus asked. “Shouldn’t he have been with her?”

“True, he should have.” He blinked in surprise at the way Steve growled the words. “But he wasn’t and Krel was, that’s it. Failkov was born healthy and everyone celebrated.” Steve hummed for a moment. “Now that I’m thinking about it, they should be visiting tomorrow.” He looked back at Seamus, not seeming to register his increasing struggle to keep up. “They usually visit for a month out of the summer for some downtime and catch up with everyone, then Krel goes to visit them during the winter.” He explained though the question was never asked.

If he wasn’t feeling short of breath Seamus might have said something about unfair time distribution but, then again, he wasn’t exactly one to talk.

“Come on,” Steve encouraged, actually seeming to see his struggle with the next hill. “Almost there, and I picked the easy route.”

“Shut. Up.” Seamus huffed, trying to ignore the ache in his legs from lacking muscle use. Earlier this sounded like a good idea, but it’s been a few years since he ran somewhere off of a treadmill. “So… What’s with, hah, Aja’s husband? No one, no one seems to like him.” Fuck.

“He’s a jerk.” Steve answered curtly. “And he treats Aja poorly,” he grumbled something else under his breath that Seamus couldn’t hear over the blood pounding in his ears. But the responses he did hear made sense with Krel’s description. “But Failkov is a good kid,” Steve added as if to lighten his mood. “Lots of energy to burn and he’s a bit of a mischief maker. He’s had me on my toes more than a couple times.” He chuckled as he slowed to a stop at the top. Seamus pushed himself up the few yards he lagged, embarrassed. Seems to be a thing he has to deal with these days.

Steve clapped him on the back, nearly knocking him down. “You did it!” He cheered.

Seamus scowled at him, doubled over with his hands on his knees.

“You are really out of shape, man.” The brainiac commented. “Did they have you working a desk job or something?”

“They did,” Seamus answered after a moment, his breathing slowly becoming level again. “I really wished it was something else, but, you have to work your way up and all that bull.” He stood straight, mirroring the small stretches Steve was doing.

“Did you get where you wanted?” Steve asked curiously.

“No.”

“Is that why you came back?”

“Kind of.”


	6. Chapter 6

“Parsley, parsnips," he squinted as the piece of paper, Lucy's elaborate cursive not becoming any clearer, "or shorthand for peppermint, maybe?" Krel pinched the bridge of his nose, massaging the inner corners of his eyes, trying to soothe his irritation. Should he get his eyes checked? It's starting to become a problem. Wouldn't that be a wonderful addition to his list. Lucy just had to insist on writing out the grocery list, didn't she? Super advanced technology, she could have easier sent a text than needlessly writing everything out.

"Seklos damn her tiny scribblings." He growled, scowling at the list as he pushed his cart along.

"Dam." Gwen echoed in the children's seat of the cart, copying his scowl. Krel's eyes widened, startled.

"You better be speaking of a dam that belongs in a river," he tapped her little nose, frowning, but only making her giggle, "little ones should not say naughty words. Even if some don't consider it one." He added, chuckling as she stuck her tongue out, he pinched her cheek. Mischievous little thing, much like her mother.

He pushed the cart into the next aisle choosing to ignore the unreadable item on his list for now. If it was a seasoning Lucy can figure out a substitute. Next on the list was Lucky Charms, Neptune's favorite cereal. Krel chuckled, thinking about how excited his nephew will be when he sees them at the airport tomorrow. That reminded him, he should probably fuel up the car, it will be awkward to drive everyone to the house with all of their suitcases on a motorcycle. Well, he wouldn't mind ditching Daruun. Let the lazy bastard walk.

Krel handed the cereal box to Gwen, who is determined to be helpful this evening, smiling when she turned to put it in the basket behind her.

"Hey Krel!" He turned to look behind him where the call was sourced from. Toby was paused mid-step from entering the bread aisle, looking as if his cart was urging him along. "Haven't seen you for a couple hours."

"Hello Toby." Krel greeted, watching as the shorter adult backed up his cart and redirected it down the cereal aisle to join him. "Are Darci and Casey with you?" He asked once Toby strolled alongside him and Gwen.

"Yea, they're in the baking section debating what cookies we should make since Nana and Varvatos are visiting tomorrow." Toby waved at Gwen with a typical look on his face that an adult would give to a child that wasn't theirs, she waved back happily. "Are you shopping for Aja and Failkov too?"

Krel nodded. "Of course, I wouldn't want them to go without." At the end of the aisle they walked, he turned left into the bread aisle, mostly for Toby. "With all they have to endure in Cantelopia -” namely Daruun “- they deserve a break." Yes, Krel is very aware that Aja can handle ruling over a kingdom and a country by herself, she is caring and compassionate enough to do that, but when it is those traits pinned against her, by say an overly ambitious human puppet, the ending result is, and was, tragic. And as much as Krel and the rest of the noble court want him gone, they can’t simply off him without it being suspicious. Well, not as if anyone would say much on the matter anyway; Aja would just to appease her in-laws, and then there is also Failkov to consider. It would be a horrifying wake up call for someone so young to find out their parent was assassinated.

"Speaking of Darrick," there was a deviousness in his tone that made Krel curious, he didn't particularly mind the incorrect name. Everyone in their friend group enjoys offering ideas on how to make Krel's brother-in-law miserable during their visit. "Jim was suggesting a special recipe for a pie, y'know since the big potluck is next week. Maybe you could convince Darren to join the pie eating contest?" Toby hopped to grab a couple loaves of wheat bread on a shelf just out of reach as Krel rubbed his chin thoughtfully, not caring enough to bother correcting the mispronunciation.

“Nothing serious, right?” He asked after a moment. It would be bad if Foreign Affairs discovered that a king of a promising ally suspiciously died on their land.

Toby tossed the bread loaves into his cart and waved off his concern. “Of course not, just some laxatives. Enough to embarrass him when it hits and keeps him out of everyones’ hair for a while. Could you hand me that box of alphabet cookies?” He pointed to the shelving behind Krel. “And relax, no one would dream of killing off your bro-in-law -- minus Steve.” Toby added, taking the box of cookies Krel gave him. “And you would be the only one that could pull it off anyway.”

“That is true.” Krel agreed, grabbing a second box and giving it to Gwen, who hugged it close to her chest, the biggest smile spread over his face. “The only reason I don’t is because Aja won’t allow it. It is truly ridiculous.” Shaking his head in annoyance, he pushed his cart onward. “I don’t understand how she puts up with him.”

“And to think, you used to think Steve was bad.” Toby teased, following after him. “Doesn’t seem so bad now, does he?”

Krel snorted, smirking a little. “Oh please, you thought they were disgusting together too, you know, when you could part from Darci long enough to see.” He shot back then sighed, feeling his smirk fade. “But at least Aja was happier then.”

“Aja’ll figure things out,” he heard Toby assure, feeling his arm nudge him in the usual friendly manner. Forcing the corners of his mouth a fraction upward, he met the other man’s eyes. “And when she does, Darrel won’t stand a chance in changing her mind. It’ll be like kicking Steve’s as-ah, I mean, butt all over again.” Toby winced briefly as he censored himself, both adults eyeing Gwen to see if she might repeat anything. Thankfully, she was more entertained with trying to sneak a different box of cookies from the shelf into the cart. Krel took it from her and returned the box to it’s shelf, frowning at her as she tried to look innocent, batting her eyes just like Mary does.

“That’s enough treats Gwen.” He spoke firmly as he placed the alphabet cookies in her lap to remind her. She pouted but took the box, staring mournfully behind Krel as they turned out of the aisle. Krel made a mental note to check the cart for other hidden treats Gwen might have grabbed when he wasn’t looking.

“There you are TP.” All three of them looked up as Darci approached small packs of what looked like chocolate chips in one arm and Darci’ and Toby’s son, Casey, hanging on to her free hand. She quickly dropped the packages into the cart, or more rather they spilled out of her grip into the cart. “Hi Krel!” She greeted once she got them set up to her liking. “Hi Gwen,” she sent a little wave to the toddler. Gwen pouted at her, still upset about her cookies, or lack thereof. Darci gave a confused look to Krel.

"I said no more cookies." Krel explained, watching the confusion clear from Darci's face as she nodded in understanding.

"Oh the horror." She joked, picking up Casey and sitting him in the cart basket. The boy made himself comfortable at the end of the basket, crossing his legs, he waved to Gwen in greeting. This time, Gwen raised one hand, still pouting. Krel rolled his eyes. He wasn't giving in this time.

"Which direction are you going?" Toby asked, reminding Krel that there was still shopping to be done. He scanned over his list quickly.

"Frozen food section," he answered, "and yourselves?"

"I think we're pretty much done." Darci looked to Toby. "Right, honey?" Toby searched his pockets quickly before pulling a slip of paper from one.

"Yeah, we got everything." He confirmed after looking it over. “Even the air freshener Nana likes.” He sounded genuinely impressed with himself by that.

"Well, then-"

"Nummies!" Casey shot up urgently. "No have nummies!" This display encouraged Gwen to grab onto Krel's sweater sleeve.

"Get nummies?" She asked excitedly. "Peas get nummies?"

Krel shook his head, "I already said no more treats. Besides, you have cookies." He tapped the box she held. Gwen responded by throwing the box to the floor with an angry yell.

"Want nummies!"

Krel looked over to Toby and Darci, who gave him equally apologetic expressions. He knelt down and picked up the box. "Then no cookies." He said once he stood up, waving the product at her.

"Nummies!" She demanded beating her little fists on the handlebar of the cart, her feeting kicking out at Krel in a restrained version of a tantrum. He stepped back out of range of her kicks, not missing how Toby and Darci tried sneaking off at the corner of his eye. He directed a frown at them.

“So grown up, sneaking off,” he commented, setting the box of cookies down on the nearest shelf. It wasn’t the correct shelf it belonged to but that can bother Krel later. “Grab a pack for me as well won’t you?” He turned his cart in the opposite direction, listening to the assurances of the couple and their apologies for their son. There was nothing to apologize for really, he was only doing what is natural to a three-year-old, prioritizing his favorite snack food. Plus it is pointless to be angry at a child.

“Okay, okay,” He hushed the angry toddler in front of him, trying not to chuckle at her reddened face and her crossed arms. Younglings were far too amusing no matter how angry they get, there’s also the way she looked nearly identical to her mother that Krel found funny. “Let me get some other things first, then I will buy your Nougat Nummies. Okay?” He smirked at how she quickly perked up at that, her attitude changing entirely as he continued pushing the cart to the frozen foods section. Ground beef and a couple steaks were all that he needed, maybe a container or two of cocktail shrimp for the pool party when Aja and Failkov were settled in, everyone seemed to like those. Not that Krel could blame them, he favored seafood too.

It was a quick trip, getting the meats and shrimp, he didn’t need to worry about brats, burgers, or hotdogs -- Jim and Steve usually fought over who brought and cooked those. There was a small wonder to how Claire would handle the smell of cooked meat that crossed Krel’s mind, he could recall how badly Aja and Mary handled the smell during their pregnancies. Maybe Jim will bring something to ease or quell her nausea, -- he seemed to be pretty attentive to whatever she needed so far -- or maybe there won’t be any burgers or hotdogs at all. It would hardly be a loss, there usually is still more than enough food left over when the party ends, everyone partakes in providing. Fun when one is host to one of the bigger social events of the summer, and when one owns the only pool on the block, but it really is an enjoyable occasion.

“And now,” Krel began, suspension in his voice just to excite Gwen, who had been waiting patiently, or as patiently as she could. “We go get your nummies.” She giggled excitedly, bouncing in her seat as Krel pushed the cart along toward the checkout counters. The large windows near the entrance showed the fading daylight, red orange light stretched over the store tiles as if it were trying to crawl into the building itself. There were more people in this direction, baskets and carts full of snacks and microwave dinners, some even with clothing or other last minute decision items Krel could see Toby and Darcy already waiting by the exit, watching for him.

"Gwen, calm down," he told the toddler when she started fussing again, realizing that they weren't going to the aisle for her nougat nummies. "Casey is saving your nummies for you, see over there?” He pointed in the direction where her playmate’s family stood by the door.

“Nummies?” She asked, her pretty brown eyes wide and pleading while her bottom lip started quivering.

“Yes, yes,” Krel assured her, petting her head, praying she wouldn’t start crying. Why did he agree to watch her today? “Let me pay for these first, alright?” He stepped around the cart and started loading his groceries onto the conveyor belt for the cashier. The young woman behind the register eyed Gwen before eyeing him in a way he was familiar with, some people were not discreet with their opinions, but he paid them no mind. Krel was just happy that there were no hidden treats in the cart.

“Did you find everything you’re looking for?” The cashier asked with weak enthusiasm as she rung up and bagged each item. Krel pulled the cart forward toward the bag rack.

“Yes,” he answered the menial question. “Is there much longer to your shift?” Smiling at the cashier pleasantly. Krel works in a different variation of customer service but it was still the same job, he can fake it too, if not a little better.

The young woman blinked at him surprised but she didn’t answer. There was a possibility she took offense to the question, there did seem to be a code of communication that Krel sometimes messes up. She spoke his total and he paid, leaving with his things and Gwen to join Toby and Darci. Casey was quick to hold out the box of Nougat Nummies in his lap for Gwen to grab, after Darci pointed out their arrival of course. Then, they gave farewells and promises to see each other again at the pool party.

Dropping Gwen off with her mother went as it usually does: walk through the door and find a friend seated in the living room, usually Hank; find Mary on the phone with her parents, she’ll pass the device to her daughter for a bit to thank Krel for watching her and insist he have something to eat. Sometimes he’d stayed but he had groceries to get home and spare bedrooms to prepare, even though Lucy had probably taken care of it already, and he was simply exhausted. Maybe he’ll actually get some sleep tonight before having to deal with his excitable nephew, energetic sister, and the pest they bring with them.

One would think, at three thirty-two in the damned morning, that Krel would have gotten used to the nightmares, or that the feeling of being unsafe would fade. He wished it was so, he truly did, but no. Almost two decades since Foreign Affairs blew through his front door, assisting the traitorous general in capturing himself and his family, and Krel was still afraid that it would happen again. Even though he had gone through the process to get a green card and passes for Aja, Failkov, Zadra, and Varvatos to visit, and with the former overseer of the department removed; he was still very afraid. And he laid curled up on his side in his bed, hugging a pillow to his chest; monitoring his breaths through it, keeping them slow. 

Laying as he did, it was impossible not to notice just how big the bed was, how empty. Times like this when he would acknowledge these observations brought about thoughts and memories he very much preferred would stay away; but, they were difficult to ignore. Especially now, with the prime source of those memories back. Krel knew why he was angry. Any psychology book would say that it was the underlying hurt and longing, and as a logical-minded person, he agreed. But he will be damned before he admits it out loud. Should have slapped Seamus when he had the chance, maybe then he could have expelled some of his anger.

His grip around the pillow tightened at the theoretical scenario. The idea, as amusing as it was, was simply moot. Krel wasn’t inherently violent. It wouldn’t mean anything if he tried to hurt Seamus now. Ugh, why can’t he just get over it? So what if Seamus is back? What they had was over years ago; it’s time to look forward. Krel gave him a piece of his mind already, time to move on. Think about other things, better things; he finally got the sidecar attached to his bike, Krel’s been promising Neptune to take him for a ride; and he can finally show off what little skills he’s learned from Jim’s cooking classes to Aja, show her that he isn’t completely reliant on Lucy. It will be fun having his family all together again, in person.

Neptune is seven years old -- turning eight at the year’s end -- with a personality much like Aja’s when she was younger; brash and blunt, and a little mischievous but he’s learned that from Krel. The day he came into the world, into their family, Krel couldn’t have been happier, there wasn’t anything that he wouldn’t do for his precious nephew. Failkov Tarron the Second, named honorably after Aja’s and Krel’s father, crown prince to the Cantelopian throne. It was a heavy weight for someone so young that Krel was familiar with, and doubly so while carrying the name of a respected king, he personally didn’t agree with the name but he just hoped that Neptune would never go through what he and Aja did for the sake of their throne, for the sake of their people. A deep sigh left him as he let his mind fall into the unknowing black behind his eyelids.

_ It was well into the night; Daruun’s infantile whining had finally ceased for the day, Aja and Neptune were settled in Aja’s old room because their husband/father wanted a bedroom for himself - Krel had suggested that he sleep at the bottom of the pool, much to his sister’s disgruntlement. He found himself on the couch, like usual, his laptop open on the rarely cleaned coffee table, a small stack of papers beside it, and his guitar in his lap. Absentmindedly plucking the strings in some meaningless melody, tuning and re-tuning the instrument periodically as he played. It sounded a bit somber, sadder than what he usually played, one occasional chord being plucked with annoyance. It was getting close to the anniversary again. Not the anniversary of his parents’ death, no, that had passed already; it was a celebrated holiday in Cantelopia, one Krel could never bring himself to partake in. _

_ The anniversary of Seamus leaving was coming soon. One would think that he would be over it by now, it had been twelve years anyway and it wasn’t looking like the jerk was coming back. But it would be nice to get some decent answers on why. Why didn’t Seamus tell him? Why did he stop talking to him? Why did he leave without saying goodbye? Why won’t he come back? Why wasn’t Krel over this yet? Why, why, why, there were too many why’s. It was annoying, frustrating, downright infuriating. _

_ “Uncle?” Krel’s nails scratched over the guitar strings, creating an awful sound. He turned his head to look over the back of the couch to find Failkov standing in the kitchen, a plush corgi in his arms and Keeker rubbing herself around his legs. _

_ “Neptune,” he spoke softly, a weak smile making its way across his face. Even though it was late, this was a welcome interruption from his thoughts. “The hour is late, you should be sleeping.” He watched as Failkov shuffled into the living room. This wasn’t uncommon behavior in the first few days of their stay in Arcadia. “Was your mama mumbling in her sleep again?” _

_ The boy nodded. “She was telling Papa we don’t need something,” he explained as he shuffled closer to where Krel sat, “and I heard your guitar.” Krel’s smile warmed at the sparkle in his nephew’s eye as he eyed the instrument in Krel’s lap. He shifted his guitar off of his lap and extended his now free arm to Failkov, helping him onto the couch. Once Failkov was settled comfortably, his plush corgi settled on the next cushion over, Krel brought the guitar back to sit over both of their legs, keeping his hand around the neck, letting Failkov strum. Keeker hopped up onto the couch and settled beside the corgi, her tail curling around the plushie, watching as they played together some silly little song. A rare sense of peace engulfed him like a soft blanket. _

_ Failkov’s strumming slowed to plucking the individual strings then stopped. Krel felt him nestle against his chest, he glanced down curiously. Had he fallen asleep? _

_ “Uncle?” His voice startled Krel for a moment, it sounded so sad for a usually happy youngling. “Do Mama and Papa love each other?” _

_ Krel bit the inside of his cheek in thought for a moment, then set his guitar on the floor behind them so it leaned against the couch, wrapping his arms around his nephew and hugging him close. “There is love between your parents, Neptune,” he assured, stroking his hand through Failkov’s short brown hair, “not necessarily for each other but it is there. Why do you ask?” It was a silly question, Krel knew; he never really hid his disdain for Failkov’s father and the rest of that side; Aja wasn’t very discreet with her frustration towards anything or anyone, but it seemed that Failkov needed to get something off his chest. _

_ “It’s just… Why did they get married if they don’t love each other?” Failkov shifted so he half laid against Krel’s chest, frustration mixed with confusion in his brilliant blue eyes as he looked up at Krel. _

_ Krel blinked at his nephew. Six years old and he was asking very specific questions, Krel would be proud if the subject matter didn’t involve Aja’s marriage decisions. _

_ “People marry for many different reasons,” he answered, leaning forward and grabbing Failkov’s corgi, giving it to him before stretching out on the couch. Keeker huffing with annoyance as she was disturbed, resettling herself on Krel’s shins, her tail twitching. “Love is a popular reason,” Krel continued, “along with money, fame, power, arrangement. Love lingers somewhere even if it isn’t towards the other person.” _

_ “Who does Mama love?” Failkov asked. _

_ Krel chuckled, pressing an affectionate kiss to his nephew’s forehead. “You, of course,” he answered, “and myself, and Grandpa Varvatos, and General Zadra, and all of the people in Cantelopia.” _

_ “And Papa?” _

_ “I cannot say for certain,” he hummed, laying his head on one of the throw pillows tucked against the arm of the couch, staring up at the ceiling. It truly was a question whether Daruun loved anything besides himself and his mother. “He does love his mama, and his mama adores you.” Correction: she adores what he brings to her family. It was sickening how she uses him against Aja. _

_ Failkov echoed his humming then lifted his head. “Did you ever love anyone?” _

_ “What question is that?” Krel asked, laughter bubbling from his throat. “I love everyone of importance: you, Aja, Varvatos, Cantelopia, our friends of Arcadia…” He took one look at the expression on Failkov’s face and stifled his laughter. “But I suppose that wasn’t what you meant.” _

_ “Did you love someone?” He asked. “Not someone that was family or a friend?” _

_ The corner of Krel’s mouth twitched at the technicality given, Failkov is going to be too smart for his own good. He sighed, relenting again to his precious nephew’s will. _

_ “Once,” he answered solemnly, “a long time ago, I did love someone.” _

_ “What happened?” Failkov pressed. There was an eagerness in his eyes that Krel didn’t miss. No one ever talked about it anymore thanks to Mary; she basically declared Seamus dead and Krel didn’t exactly say anything against her, it became an out of sight out of mind situation. _

_ “He left to chase an old dream of his.” Krel explained. _

_ “Did you ever see him again?” _

_ “No,” Krel sighed again, “it will soon be twelve years and I haven’t seen nor heard from him. He never even said goodbye.” _

_ “What a jerk.” Krel snorted at the tone in his nephew’s voice. _

_ “Your mama and many others would agree with you.” _

_ “Is that why you didn’t love anyone else?” _

_ “So many questions nephew, it is time for sleep.” Krel declared. He clapped his hands together twice over their heads and the lights from the dining room to the living room went dark. _

_ “Uncle,” he heard Failkov whine, he didn’t need any light to know that there was a pout on the youngling’s face. “Please?” _

_ Krel groaned, covering his face with one arm and curling the other around Failkov. The child in question squirmed under his arm, scooting up to rest his head on Krel’s shoulder. _

_ “Tell me, please?” He whispered into Krel’s ear. Persistent, just like his mother. _

_ Krel sighed for a third time, lifting his arm so he could look at the dark silhouette of his nephew. “There is an old saying of the Americas; ‘it is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.’ I have loved and I have lost it, that was enough for me.” _

_ “That’s sad.” Failkov commented quietly. “Why?” _

_ Krel hugged him close again, pressing another kiss to his forehead. He didn’t like the bitter feeling that tugged at the back of his mind nor the yearning that tugged on his heart. He made do with what he had, who he had, and it’s worked for him so far. “I have no need for anyone else but my close friends and my family. Now go to sleep Neptune.” Krel stared up at the ceiling, listening as Failkov’s breathing slowly evened out, imagining that the glow-in-the-dark stars were still there. _

Krel fell out of his bed, the new alarm Lucy set on his phone blaring from the bedside table, the sun poured in through the open curtains. Did he actually fall asleep? Untangling the thin blanket from his legs and tossing it back onto the bed, along with the pillow that fell with him, he squinted through the brightness at his surroundings. His bedroom was clean, far cleaner than it’s usual state of disaster, for Daruun to use during their stay, fresh bedding was folded atop the short dresser that was no doubt cleared of clothing, again, for Daruun to use. Hopefully Lucy made sure to lock up the closet this time.

He reached up and grabbed his phone, turning off his alarm, then stood up and stretched. Covering a yawn with his hand, he made his way out of his room. The smell of bacon hit him the moment he opened the door, so instead of immediately going for a shower like he planned he walked past the bathroom and headed toward the kitchen as any sane person would.

“Ahoy-hoy buckaroo!” Ricky greeted, waving a mug of hot coffee through the air, the newspaper open atop the counter. “Someone was sleeping soundly.” He grinned brightly. “Lucy here had to let the cat out of the house.”

“Morning,” Krel greeted, plopping himself on the empty red barstool, “and thank you Lucy. I’m not sure what made me so tired as to sleep so late.”

Lucy cackled, flipping some bacon over in her pan with a set of tongs, a plate beside her with a decent stack of the delicious breakfast food. “Of course, Krel honey, a young man as busy as you needs to sleep some time.” She scooped some fresh bacon onto a plate with a pair of eggs and toast and set the plate in front of him. “Now eat up, you still have things to do before picking up your sister and the others from the airport.”

“I do?” Krel paused mid-bite on a strip of bacon. He usually kept the first three or four days open to catch up with his sister and nephew, Stuart knew this and kept a list of names and problems for him at the store.

“Your boss called earlier,” Ricky spoke up, answering for Lucy, “he wants to talk to you A S A P, said it was urgent.”

“Huh,” Krel started stuffing his mouth with food, pausing only to steal drinks from Ricky’s mug. He wondered what Stuart needed that was so important.

Rushing through a shower and the rest of his morning routine, Krel hastily twisted his hair into a braid. Keeker howled at him from her spot on the shelf beside the front door, he gave her a quick chin scratch before yelling a goodbye to the Blanks and walking out.

"I need to take the van," he reminded himself as he diverted from his normal route to his motorcycle, fingering through the keys in his hand. The aforementioned vehicle sat patiently waiting at the entrance of the driveway by the curb like it usually is when Krel isn't babysitting; he prefers the motorcycle but he can't take Gwen on it, she isn't quite old enough yet. His van looked better than when he bought it second-hand, his own handiwork showed in every detail of it. It does pay to know what you're doing as a freelance engineer and technician. Getting in and starting up the vehicle; Krel plugged the aux cord into his phone, pressing play on one of his playlists, then he was off, steering the van around what was once supposed to be a cul-de-sac and on to the road into town, his fingers drumming against the steering wheel to the beat of the music. 

It was a short drive to the electronics store; only one red light caught him, Krel parked behind Stuart’s taco truck, admiring the small bits of vandalism on the rear gifted by some mischievous middle schooler as he climbed out. Taking in a deep breath, the morning air smelled fresh, aside from the exhaust of passing vehicles and greasy foods from nearby restaurants, and though the sky was clear it seemed that there may be some rain on the way. Hopefully not, that wouldn’t be good for the pool party.

Opening the door and greeted by the electronic bell, Krel met the unusual sight of Stuart at the counter with a stack of paper on his left and manilla files spread out on the countertop, and Stuart himself talking animatedly on the store phone, his back turned to Krel. Stuart seemed a little frazzled but excited nonetheless, running his hands through his hair making it even more a mess that it normally is.

“No, no, there isn’t a better time I’m telling you.” Krel heard him say into the phone, tipping his head curiously. What was Stuart up to today? “Yeah, I can bring it! Don’t worry, piece of cake.” Stuart chuckled. “I’m sure they wouldn’t mind- No, I pro-  _ I promise,  _ trust me. I do favors for their majesties all the time, they will let this one slide.” Was it something shady again? Krel rolled his eyes giving a loud cough, startling the stout man. Stuart whipped around with a quiet ‘eep’ then immediately smiling like he wasn’t about to cover up an incomplete promise. “Okay, I gotta go mate,” he whispered into the phone, “yes, no look,  _ I got to go.” _ He slammed the handheld piece on to its base, quickly moving to give Krel an open armed greeting.

“Your majesty!” 

“What are you planning now?” Krel’s arms crossed over his chest, he eyed the Durian with suspicion.

“Oh,” Stuart giggled weakly to himself, his arms dropping. “Heard that, did you?” He tapped the pads of his fingers together, stalling for time, not elaborating on his conversation with whoever on the phone and furthering the disapproval on Krel’s face.

“Stuart…” He watched the man flinch, but he still wasn’t talking. So Krel approached the counter. “Who were you talking to, Stuart?”

Stuart whimpered, slowly shrinking behind the counter. “T-talking? When?” He asked, grimacing as Krel’s expression started turning into annoyance. “I mean… J-just an old fr-friend, y’know?” He tried giggling again. “From… From D-Durio.”

A brow rose over Krel’s eye. “And what would ‘their majesties’ not mind you doing Stuart?” He asked slowly.

The shrunken man made an anxious noise, glimpsing down at the counter, his eyes widened as if he remembered something and he jumped up. “Oh! Since you’re here, Your Majesty!” He started shuffling through the paper stack and flipping the files open and closed. “I hope you’ve been considering my proposal, it’s cheaper than anything Hextech offered, but I figured since you already technically own the place that I’d discount it properly-”

“Stuart!” Krel shouted, slamming his hands on the countertop.

The older man completely stumbled back. “I was just makin’ plans for my visit to Durio!” He cried, hiding behind his arms. Krel eased up, blinking in surprise. He and Stuart have been discussing Krel officially purchasing Stuart’s Electronics. So Stuart was actually just planning his vacation to Durio, his home? Well, now he felt bad for snapping at him. Though to be honest, Stuart does get up to quite a bit of shady work when he isn’t manning the taco truck, not to mention the number of ‘favors’ he owes some people.

“Oh, sorry,” he apologized sheepishly, “you were talking about favors and I just assumed…”

Stuart nodded, laughing a little more heartily. “I know, I know.” His hand waved through the air as if he was waving away the notion. “I’ve asked for your help with some side jobs enough times that you’re right to be a little skeptical. But I was only sayin’ that you and your sister would allow me to take the plane back home.” He sniggered a little more confidently, patting the expanse of his belly. “Should show off the perks of having an in with the royal family, don’t I? No one would believe me otherwise.”

Krel responded with a chuckle and an eyeroll. It’s almost a wonder how this was a surprising turnout. “Alright then, I’m sure Aja would be more than happy to let you take the plane. You called me to go over the paperwork then?” Stuart nodded eagerly.

“Yes, yes, oh which folder was it?” He muttered to himself as he flipped through the four files. After a moment of searching a single sheet was presented to Krel; it was old and worn, like it had been folded and stuffed into a pocket for some amount of time, there was tap over deep tears in the page, on it in small print was the store’s address, the details of the deed, and Stuart’s name on one side with empty dotted lines on the other. “Here we go,” Krel was given a pen, “just sign your name and today’s date,” Stuart explained, back to his cheerful self, “then you can take this to town hall and get the store transferred to your name, and it’s all yours.”

Staring at the old piece of paper a strange feeling welled up inside of Krel’s chest, a sense of euphoria perhaps, it’s been a long time since he felt something similar. The idea that just a signature away is owning the store he’s been working for since he was in high school was weird, almost a foreign concept. Like Stuart had said, if Krel owns that store then he makes the rules, as ridiculous as the notion was, it was barely believable and a little frightening, not to mention it would be the first thing he owns aside from his house. There were no rules to begin with other than the basics of respect, Krel had always been free to do as he pleased, somehow this changed all of that. Okay, maybe more than a little frightening. With the pen he was given, Krel wrote out his name on the dotted line and followed it with the date. It was done, all that was left was to have town hall’s officiation stamped onto it.

“And there you have it, your highness!” Stuart chirped, applauding like it was some deed of glory and valor. “Now you wait for me here while I finish packing. I’ll go with you to the airport.”

“What about your truck?” Krel asked, watching Stuart retreat to the back of the store.

“Oh, Toby said he’d be more than happy to take over until I get back.”

Krel’s brows rose. That should be interesting to see, considering Toby is a househusband/stay-at-home dad and does  _ not _ have the same skill in the kitchen as Jim.

They’ve been waiting nearly forty-five minutes and the security guards were already giving him strange looks, happens every year. One would think that they would be used to him by now but whatever. Because the amount of time Krel and Stuart had to spare, they went to town hall notarized. It didn’t help that Stuart was enthusiastically browsing the airport gift shop as if he was already on his vacation, well, technically he was but he was still in Arcadia, in America. The monotonous woman over the speakers kept announcing the incoming and outgoing flights, not that she would announce Aja’s, considering it was a private plane, the woman would only be aware of its arrival. Maybe he should have waited on the landing strip like they do for him. Hmm… 

He’s pacing around a table of vanilla scented candles stacked in a pyramid while Stuart examined the novelty coffee mugs by the time he could hear familiar whining over the cries and complaints of uncontented children, the whining of a grown man too childish for his position in life. He exited the gift shop, essentially abandoning Stuart to his mugs, eyes scanning the moving bodies from his sister’s platinum blonde hair or Zadra’s tall form that would no doubt be following them. Oh where was Varvatos’ boisterous bellowing when you needed it?

Krel waved both of his arms in the air when he spotted Zadra, catching her eye, she waved back with one hand. Soon enough Aja and her family pushed out of the crowd, Failkov ran into Krel’s arms the moment he saw him. Krel hoisted his nephew up the best he could, never having the best upper body strength, and reached out to Aja when he had one arm free, bringing her into a group hug.

“It is so good to see you little brother!” She hugged him tight and he returned the gesture in kind.

“I feel the same sister dear,” Krel pressed his head against hers in their traditional greeting, “You must visit more often.” He grinned broadly at her laugh.

“You could also move back home of course.” She suggested trying to sound as if she hadn’t a million times before. 

“Yea!” Failkov agreed excitedly. “You could see me train, and help with my lessons, and you can teach me to build things!”

“Aye-yi-yi,” Krel laughed, shaking his head dramatically. “But Arcadia would fall apart without my technical expertise, where will we escape to then?” He snickered as Failkov hummed in thought, Aja giggled as well.

“Ah! Your grace!” Stuart hobbled out of the gift shop, greeting Aja properly by giving a deep bow with an open hand over his heart.

“Stuart, so good to see you,” Aja spoke warmly as she urged him to rise. “Have you come to welcome us too?”

Stuart gave a half nod. “In part my queen-”

“There is no need for formalities Stuart.” Aja reminded him with a playful grin. He laughed, sounding a bit nervous.

“Right, of course,” he exchanged knowing looks with Krel, this argument could go on and Stuart will remain stubborn. “But I also came to ask a favor of you.”

Aja blinked at the Durian in surprise at the serious sounding question. “Of course, Stuart.”

“It’s nothing too big, I promise,” Stuart said, waving his hands in the air as if that would ease the minor tension. “I was just wonderin’ if I could trouble your pilot for a ride to Durio. I’m taking a bit of a vacay myself,” he laughed airily, “Gaylen knows I need it.”

“But, of course,” Aja laughed with him, “I do believe the plane needs to refuel.” She looked over to Zadra who nodded in confirmation. “Zadra could go with you to pass on the permission to take you to your home when they have finished.”

“Your luggage-” the lieutenant tried to interject but Krel waved her off.

“It’s just a few bags Zadra.” And Daruun just happened to fall out of the crowd, one bag in hand, another over his shoulder, and a third somehow tangled around his ankles.

“Zadra!” The man-baby cried. Oh, how wonderful this month will be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cannot begin to describe how excited I was to write this!! Any other suggestions of what Krel and Co. should do to make Daruun miserable during their stay, remember - no offing the king!

**Author's Note:**

> I've suffered with this idea for a looong time and now I think its time for me to drag others down into this pit. I've got shovels, who's gonna dig this grave with me?


End file.
